Shepard, the King, Omega, and the Galaxy
by Sargo
Summary: Five years after the Reapers are destroyed, Shepard's leave is cut short when Omega's new royalty threatens the entire galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

Sur'Kesh, 2186

_Explosions rocked his cell. All four eyes, wide with bewilderment, watched as one of the soft, small, amphibians hurriedly accessed the controls to his containment cell._

_ "We're suffering power failure! We need those generators-" Another round of explosions. Bulkier, taller figures dropped onto the level, weapons in hand._

_ The amphibian's eyes widened as he yanked a pistol off of his belt._

_ "Cerberus incoming! I need backup!" Rifle fire barked through the air, some hitting the containment shield keeping him caged. The blue shield shimmered but did not fail. He growled in annoyance._

_ The smaller being, one of his captors, took cover behind the desk, blindly firing his pistol._

_ "I need backup! Cerberus is here and the yahg containment cell is close to failing!"_

_ His eyes lit up. _Good. Let me out_. Kidnapped and whisked away, he wanted out. Now. These aliens underestimated him, to boot. He had learned their language, knew their capabilities. When he escaped, which was now a certainty, he would not be gentle._

_ "Kill the salarian!" one of the bulkier forms shouted over the gunfire. He had a feeling this was a human. "And leave the yahg! We're here for the female!"_

_ The salarian leaned out and squeezed off three shots. One of the Cerberus soldiers bent over, bleeding from the stomach._

_ More stray gunfire peppered the containment shield. _So close…

_ Another salarian rushed into the room, the one ducked behind cover providing suppressing fire._

_ "I'll cover you!" the new one shouted. The first nodded and stood, his fingers furiously flying over the console. The second salarian, armed with an assault rifle, fired off three successive bursts, killing two Cerberus soldiers and wounding a third._

_ "Diverting non-critical power! The containment-" the salarian collapsed lifelessly to the floor, the wall behind him splattered with his curious green blood. The second salarian cursed._

_ "Move in! All units move in!" the Cerberus commander shouted. From across the room, the humans began encroaching on the lone salarian's position._

_ One of the humans fired and hit the console. The containment shield sputtered and died._

_ "Alert! Alert!" the salarian was bleating. "The yahg is loose!"_

_ In a swift motion, he leapt from the open cell, crushing the fragile amphibian beneath his massive feet. His captor dead, he uttered an ear-shattering roar of cold fury and boiling happiness. He was free! _Free_!_

_ "Holy shit! Kill that thing!" the human leader shouted. He grinned as he scanned the room, taking in the minutest of details in seconds. Only three humans remained, each one tense and backing away, and stairs leading down lay on the opposite end of the room. _

_ With bubbling satisfaction, he emitted another roar, showing off his triangular mouth and hundreds of razor-sharp teeth._

_ The humans flinched and he made his move. Faster than any of them could have anticipated, he rushed forward, swatting the first and nearest human away with a sweep of his massive, muscular forearm. He could hear him grunt as he crashed into the wall with bone-crushing force, his sigh as he fell silent on the ground._

_ The second one raised his rifle to aim but he was upon him before the human could raise it above his waist. Towering above the armored man, he reached down, grasping his right arm and neck and yanked with brutish strength. Crimson sprayed as he tore the man apart._

_ In the span of ten seconds, he had killed his captor and two of the humans. The remaining one, the leader, recovered himself and raised his rifle. _

_ He swiveled as he felt two of the rounds burn into the thick hide of his back. Eerily silent, he charged the remaining enemy and tackled him to the ground. The small human, unable to resist his might, lay helpless beneath him._

_ His chest rumbling with laughter, he opened his mouth again and roared, spittle flying into the human's face visor. Even though he could not see his face, he could tell from his body language that the human had recoiled in fear. _

_ Raising his huge fist, he brought it down on the helmet once, twice, three times. His opponent's head crushed like an overripe fruit, he jumped to his feet and bellowed in triumph. _

_ But he couldn't stay here. He had to move, in case his captors managed to drug him again, tried to recapture him. _

_ Hunching over, he sprinted to the stairs, taking the small steps six at a time, going down. As he charged, his sensitive ears picked up voices, his nose detecting faint scents on the air._

_ "What are our orders?" A human._

_ "Wait for Delta Squad and regroup with them." A second human. "Then we go after the female. These damn salarians are putting up a helluva fight, and the fact that Commander Shepard himself is here…"_

_ "Son of a bitch," the first one swore. "The boss should've blown his ship out of the sky the second he turned."_

_ He reached the bottom of the steps, emerging into a small hallway with a plate glass window on the opposing wall._

_ "I know- What the hell!" He was already upon them, sending the first human flying down the hallway, his body limp. The second one fired a single shot, rupturing a pipe, a jet of fire washing over his back. Furious, he threw him through the plate glass window. _

_ Looking up, he saw yet another human, followed by a small, blue alien (an asari?) and a larger one with a strange head fringe (a turian?). All three were heavily armed and armored. _

_ Already exposed to a roaring fire, he bellowed at them before sprinting back the way he came. He could not quite place it, but he had a strange feeling about them. A feeling that told him not to start a fight, if he could help it. So he followed his instincts. _

_ As he ran down another flight of stairs, he heard them speaking to one another._

_ "Careful! There goes the next Shadow Broker!" _Shadow Broker? What was a Shadow Broker?

_"Could've sworn he was muttering 'T'Soni' the whole time," said a flanging voice._

_ "Not funny."_

_ He pushed it out of his mind. He had more important things to concentrate on. Like escaping._

* * *

Earth, 2191

Big, blue, innocent eyes stared up at him.

Wrapped in a soft, white blanket, Mara watched him, resting flat on her back on the mattress of her crib.

Shepard knew he should let his daughter sleep. It was well past midnight and she had woken not long after he sat in the chair beside her crib. But she hadn't cried, hadn't gurgled, hadn't made a sound. She just watched her father sit there and he watched her. It was peaceful.

Ever since moving into the quaint little house in up-state New York with Liara and Mara, Shepard found himself waking in the middle of the night with an irrational urge to go check on her. Every night he found himself sitting in this chair at some odd hour, watching his baby daughter sleep peacefully. It still amazed him that after everything he had seen and been through, after everything the galaxy had gone through, he could sit here and witness the serenity that seemed to encase his daughter. That after everything, something like that was even _possible_.

He smiled when Mara reached out with a little arm and poked her hand out through the spokes. Only six months old, Shepard found himself loving her more than he could have ever imagined possible. But what he loved unconditionally he feared as well. The uncertainty of being a parent, unsure how his daughter will behave, if she'd be safe, respectful, a good person, all those variables, scared him. It scared him when he thought that he wouldn't be a good father. And it terrified him when he thought of the fact that he wouldn't be around forever.

She waved her hand.

Shepard reached out and stroked her soft, light blue skin with his index finger. Squealing softly, she latched onto it with surprising strength. He laughed and stood, resting his free arm on the crib. Reaching into the folds of his clothing, he pulled out his dogtags. Bending his head, he pulled the cool chain off and let it dangle from his hand, holding it just above Mara's head.

She giggled. She loved his tags. Letting go of his finger, she reached up to grab the shiny metal. Mara giggled louder when she felt the cool metal in her hands. Tugging it closer, she pulled them to her chest, holding onto them possessively. Shepard laughed, letting his fears wash away and just enjoying this moment with his daughter.

He felt a presence at the door. Liara stood there, resting against the frame, watching Shepard play and gently tease their daughter by lightly tugging on the chain every now and then.

Shepard wasn't surprised that she had come. She did so fairly often, whenever he got up to check on Mara. Tonight was no different.

Looking away from Mara, Shepard craned his neck. Liara remained still, smiling at the image in front of her, moonlight from the open window washing over her.

"Morning gorgeous," Shepard grinned. Liara blushed lightly.

"Did she cry? I did not hear anything." She folded her arms.

"No," he replied softly, looking back down at Mara. "I woke up and decided to check on her. Then she did, too." He chuckled as she tugged tightly on the chain.

Liara padded over to the crib and laced her arms around Shepard's neck. "You should come back to bed. Even Captains in the Alliance and Council Spectres need their rest," she hummed against his back.

"I'm on leave. And the Council's got other Spectres."

"All the more reason to get rest."

Shepard hummed. Liara, as always, had a point. This was his first month of leave in, God, since right after the Reaper War, five years ago. He'd run himself ragged before, during, and after. He did need to sleep.

"Yeah, you're right." He leaned over the edge and gently kissed Mara on the forehead. Laughing, she slapped her palms against his rough, scruffy cheeks. As he raised himself, he had to pry her hands off his dogtags, to which she moaned unhappily. "Sorry, baby," he apologized.

Mara pouted. When Liara saw him hesitate, she spoke up. "You go back to bed. I'll stay, make sure she falls back asleep."

Shepard gave her a sloppy salute. "Yes ma'am." She laughed and motioned with her head for him to leave.

Leaving his two favorite women in the galaxy behind, Shepard exited the room and walked down the hallway to his and Liara's room. Large with an adjoining bathroom and a king sized bed, the bedroom also had two doorways. One led to Shepard's office of sorts, where he kept the bulk of his weapons, pictures, paperwork, and most everything else related to his job. The other door led to Liara's far larger office, filled to the brim with consoles and monitors. Though she'd quit being the Shadow Broker several years ago, she still helped every now and then with Feron, Miranda Lawson's chief assistant. Miranda had assumed the role of Shadow Broker after Liara had offered, following Feron's polite refusal. Turns out he much preferred the job as assistant instead of head honcho.

Most of the time, nowadays, Liara wrote about her findings regarding Protheans, along with some other side projects that even Shepard didn't have full knowledge of.

Approaching the bed, he collapsed on the right side, his side, and turned to look at the clock. _0130_. He'd been up for just under an hour.

Closing his eyes, Shepard waited for sleep to take him. A half-hour later, he cracked an eye open to check the time. _0132_. He chuckled to himself. _I'm not made for lying around_.

He tossed and turned for another few minutes before the sound of the door opening drew his attention.

"She fell back asleep," Liara said quietly, walking towards her side of the bed. "But I can see _you _haven't." A smirk played at the corners of her mouth.

Shepard gave a mock expression of pain. "I can't sleep. Won't the good doctor help me?" Liara's smile widened and she stepped out of her clothes. Naked, she slid into the bed, sidling up close to Shepard.

"Let's see what I can do…"

Shepard grinned. "Please doctor. I need help."

Liara leaned in close, her lips brushing his for a light kiss. He pressed forward and their kiss deepened. The world started to wash away. Nothing mattered right now, not with his beautiful wife laying naked right next to him.

She pulled back. "I don't believe you are as sick as you claim." She grinned.

"Does that-"

Something rang from his office. _Shit! C'mon!_

With a huff, Liara fell against the pillows. "You should get that."

"Nuh-uh. I'm on leave, remember?" Shepard let himself fall to his back, too. Cock-blocked by a phone call on his first night of leave.

"The Council wouldn't call if it was not something important," Liara answered, turning her head to look at him. It rang again. Groaning, Shepard sat up and placed his bare feet on the floor.

"Who said it was the Council?" He stood and took his time walking over to the door.

"Regardless, it must be important if someone is calling at," she peered over at the clock, "one-forty in the morning." Shepard grunted again, pulling the door open, the ring rising in volume.

"Don't worry, I'll still be here," she called out as he stepped into the room, the door automatically closing behind him.

He grunted in frustration. "Who the fuck has decided to call me _now_?" He demanded, taking a seat at the desk. The console was flashing, indicating a video call. He tapped it. "I swear, Garrus, if you're calling for some bullshit-"

"Shepard."

He stopped himself before continuing. "Councilor Tevos!" He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "I-um-what can I do for you?" Shepard kept his tone polite.

The asari watched him with calm eyes, seemingly unaware or uncaring of his lack of clothing. "I do apologize for calling at this hour, Captain, but we have a situation."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't there other Spectres? I am on leave, Councilor…"

"I am aware, but this is urgent. We are mobilizing all of our agents."

Shepard's heart skipped a beat. _Mobilizing all Spectres? Has that ever even happened before? _

"I see." He gulped and laced his hands together. "What's the situation?"

As the asari Councilor began to describe the situation, Shepard felt disappointment, anger, and sadness lump together into one big ball in the pit of his stomach. _Can't the galaxy stay safe for _one_ goddamn month? Is that too much to ask?_


	2. Chapter 2

Pranas System, 2186

_"Get us through that relay," he snarled, gripping the salarian's shoulder with bruising force. With quivering hands, the diminutive amphibian directed the shuttle toward the mass relay._

_ Smiling, he leaned back, his eyes both watching the looming target and the shaking salarian._

_ After retreating from the flame, he had charged through hallways and stairs until he came to a shuttle bay. Unable to fly one for himself, he had kidnapped this salarian to pilot him. He chuckled at the irony, the deep bass of his rumbling causing the salarian to shake even more violently._

_ "Will- will you let me go when-wherever we land?" The small alien's voice cracked with fear._

_ He laughed even louder. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't." _

_ The salarian noticeably cringed, finding it eerie that the yahg could speak his language fluently, and focused on flying the shuttle._

_ He studied the salarian's movements closely. "What is your name?" he eventually questioned._

_ "Jo-Jorra Solorus," came the immediate reply. The salarian's slim body made no irregular movements. He was telling the truth._

_ "What do you do?"_

_ "I was-" the salarian stopped himself. "I _am _a member of the STG. I work as an engineer." He was certain the slim alien was telling the truth._

_ He let silence hang in the shuttle, steadily watching the salarian fly the shuttle. Everything seemed to be fine until he caught an infinitesimally small movement. The salarian's head, for no more than an instant, jerked toward the shuttle's radio. It was such a small movement that any other species would have missed it. But not him._

_ "Don't think about it," he rumbled._

_ Jorra jumped in his seat. _

_ Sitting behind the salarian, he rumbled another chuckle of satisfaction. _Oh how the tables have turned.

_"Where-" Jorra's voice cracked. He chuckled harder and louder this time. "Where to? I need a destination," he managed to choke out._

_ He scratched his head in contemplation. The only place he knew in this galaxy was his home. "Where is Parnack?"_

_ "Hourglass Nebula, Osun system."_

_ The salarian's right shoulder twitched, a lightning fast, miniscule movement that would have gone unnoticed to anyone but him. He knew instantly that this salarian, Jorra, was lying._

_ Throwing his hand forward, he gripped Jorra's shoulder. The salarian yelped in pain and surprise, bones creaking beneath his crushing fingers._

_ "Do not lie to me." He tightened and smiled. _This can be fun_. _

"_Okay! Okay!" He released his hand. Breathing shakily, Jorra tried to compose himself despite literally shaking with terror. "Hawking Eta, Schwarzschild system." The salarian held his breath._

_ "Then there," he spoke, leaning backwards once again._

_ Silence filled the shuttle once more as he watched the salarian tremble with terror. He grinned. _With this ship, this salarian, and with_ me_, I'll be able to do anything_, he gloated._

_ A dim blue light began to fill the shuttle. Unable to resist, he let himself adjust his gaze to watch in awe as the massive space structure seemed to reach out to them, grab them, and _hurl_ them. He'd heard and learned about these mass relays, but this was the first time he'd actually _seen_ one for himself. An instant later, they landed somewhere light years away. _

_ As the salarian began to access the shuttle's controls one more, he stared passed him and out the window, taking in the view of his home system. The fourth planet from the sun was undoubtedly Parnack, his home. Though instead of the relief he had expected himself to feel, he felt…_regret_? He had a shuttle, his freedom, and control over a salarian. Why squander an opportunity like that? _

If I can take control of an alien this easily_, he pondered, _force him to do what I want, what else am I capable of_?_

_ Deciding his course of action, he opened his mouth to order Jorra to alter their direction when the onboard radio crackled to life. "Surrender your vessel."_

_ Was this salarian somehow able to send off a beacon? Had Jorra gotten the best of him? Suddenly furious, he lunged forward and ensnared the salarian's head horns in his powerful hands, pulling them in opposite directions. "What did you do?" he seethed._

_ "Nothing! Nothing, I swear!" Jorra cried frantically. Outside the front window, a ship slowly came into view. A blue ship with a white insignia. He felt the slender alien sag under his grip with a perceptible aura of defeat._

_ He looked out the front window and tensed as he saw the ship. "What is that?"_

_ "It's a mercenary ship! We need to leave or they'll kill us, or try to ransom us."_

A mercenary ship_? His eyes gleamed as a plan began to formulate. "Perfect. Take us closer. I want to talk."_

* * *

Earth, 2191

"What does he call himself?"

"The King," Tevos replied. Shepard cackled mirthlessly. _How goddamn pretentious_. The asari councilor continued. "We do not have clear reports, yet, on what is happening. What we do know is that Aria T'Loak has lost Omega-"

"Again."

"-and this 'King' is seemingly trying to unite the citizens of the Terminus Systems. As you can see, this can go very badly, very quickly."

Shepard sighed. "Yes. Yes I do." _Fucking Aria. Can't hold Omega, even with Cerberus dead and gone_. He looked back to the screen, Councilor Tevos waiting patiently. "Why deploy all Spectres, though? Where are you sending everyone? Why not just send a team to Omega?"

"We are ordering some to monitor the situation from Rannoch, along with a team from the salarian STG. Most are scattering throughout the entire Terminus, trying to find out what they can." She paused and regarded him silently for a moment. "We would like you to go directly to Omega."

Shepard froze.

"You want me to fly right into the hornet's nest?"

Either Tevos understood the human saying or simply ignored it. "Yes. To answer your question, we _are_ sending a team to Omega."

"I'm just one man, Councilor."

"And that is why we have ordered Ashley Williams to accompany you. We also have arranged for Sarterus Kavorian to meet you at Omega."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Sarterus? Who's that?"

"A turian Spectre, a dedicated and skilled agent from before the Reaper War. A dossier has been sent to the _Normandy_ to give you some idea of the man."

He nodded slowly. "Right. Well," he checked his omni-tool. _0210_. "I can have the _Normandy_ out and on-route to Omega in about six or seven hours. Though I have one last question."

"Yes?"

"Have you heard from Aria? She wouldn't let Omega fall through her finger tips again without a fight."

Tevos paused. "We have not heard from Aria T'Loak since reports of this 'King' began surfacing."

Shepard felt the knot tighten. "Is she dead?" he asked bluntly.

"We don't know, Captain," the Councilor answered, rubbing her hands together. "I'm sure you'll find out when you land on Omega."

"That I will," Shepard said, staring off into the corner. Things had just taken a turn for, most likely, the worst. "I should go."

"Indeed. Good luck, Captain." Councilor Tevos reached out and cut the video, ending the conversation.

Basking in the silence for a moment, Shepard leaned into his chair. _Fuck_.

Just when everything seemed to be going fine, this fucking '_King_' decides to start messing with things. Nobody knows who he is or what his plan is, potentially making him a serious threat.

Shepard scowled. _This fucker better back down or he's goin' to have to deal with_ me. Cutting his leave short and tearing him away from Mara was not a smart way to put him in a charitable mood.

He cracked his neck sharply and began accessing the console, his fingers flying over the display as he contacted Joker. He waited for several rings before the pilot answered.

"Wha-Shepard?" Joker rubbed his eyes groggily. He lay in bed, his chest bare and a human looking lump lying beside him.

Shepard skipped all pleasantries and got straight to business. "Joker, I need the _Normandy_ prepped and ready to go ASAP. Wake the rest of the crew."

Joker rubbed his eyes again. "What? The crew? The _Normandy_? Why, what's goin' on?"

"There's a situation we've gotta handle out on Omega. So get to it, we need to leave immediately."

The pilot groaned. "For fuck's sake, Captain. We just got leave!"

"I'm well aware, Joker. Now get to it. And be sure to get EDI, though I suspect you shouldn't have a hard time finding her."

Joker reddened. "I-uh-get-"

"Just get moving," Shepard cut him off, smirking. Before his pilot could respond, he ended the connection. No matter how much he messed with Joker, the knot in his stomach wouldn't lessen.

With a huff, he pushed himself up and exited his office. Liara, now wearing a loose shirt, sat cross-legged on the bed, her eyes both tired and sad. Shepard felt his face and heart sag.

"You have to leave, don't you?" She didn't even have to ask; she knew the answer.

"Yes." Shepard moved through the room and sat down next to her, draping his arm across her shoulders.

"Why you, though?" She peered up at him, her eyes almost the exact same shade as Mara's. Deep blue, like the ocean. Deep enough to get lost in.

"Liara, this is serious. Everyone is being sent to investigate." Her mouth fell open slightly.

"_All_ the Spectres?"

He nodded sadly. "Someone in the Terminus is starting some trouble. Nothing has happened, but the Council is worried all the same." He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I have to leave today," he climbed off the bed and knelt in front of her, "but I'll be back soon."

"Taylor, they have to be more than 'worried' if _all_ of you are being sent!" Liara raised her voice. She hesitated and tensed, as if afraid to ask the question already on her tongue. "Is there going to be war?"

Shepard looked her in the eye and gripped her hands. "It won't come to that. I won't let it come to that. Me and all the other Spectres." He stroked her soft skin with his thumbs. "This is what we're meant for. Stopping bad things before they happen." His soothing words weren't having their desired effect. Liara looked just as upset, her eyes welling with tears of frustration.

"What about Mara?" she breathed. Shepard bowed his head, unsure what to say. It hurt him as much as it hurt Liara for him to leave. Sometimes he wondered about the wisdom behind having her while still in the Alliance, still a Spectre.

"She'll be fine. You'll look after her. And I'll come back."

"But it isn't fair!" she hissed, lunging to her feet. "You saved this entire galaxy from the Reapers, you _died_ doing it! You deserve peace, a break from fighting!"

"What I deserve doesn't matter, Liara," he said softly. "I'm still a Spectre. I still have a duty."

"What about your duty to your family?"

The air seemed to leave his lungs.

He looked back up to find her watching him with pleading eyes.

"Mara deserves to have her father around her! Not off fighting, where he might be killed!"

"Liara, please," Shepard stood, still holding her hands. "This isn't easy for me. It fucking _hurts_, knowing I need to leave her now. But there's no reason to get so worked up, not now. Right now, I'm just investigating. Nothing more, nothing less." He placed a hand on her face. "I'll be _fine_. I promise." She leaned into his palm.

"How can you promise that?"

Shepard surprised her by chuckling. "Liara, I've fought Reapers, for God's sake, and made it out alive."

"Can you at least tell me _where_ they're sending you?" His palm vibrated as she spoke.

"I…" he hesitated. She watched him carefully with those beautiful eyes. "I'm going to Omega."

"You're going to Omega?" she asked quietly, stepping back.

He rubbed his neck. "It's the source of the trouble and, if need be, I'll nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand." She didn't look any less troubled, so he hurriedly added, "But I won't be alone."

"How so?"

"Ashley's coming with me on the _Normandy_ and we'll be meeting a turian named Sarterus Kavorian on Omega. And I'll try and get Zaeed onboard, that _guddamn merc_," he rasped. Liara actually laughed at his impression of the old, grizzled veteran.

They stood hand in hand for a long moment, the sound of the bugs' chirping drifting through the open window. Eventually, she stepped forward and hugged Shepard tightly.

"Will you at least contact me and Mara?"

"Everyday. That shouldn't even be a question," he replied, embracing her. He rested his chin on the top of her head, enjoying her familiar scent, the warmth of her body through the thin shirt she wore.

"…I don't like this, Shepard."

He planted a kiss on her forehead. "None of us do. But it won't be long."

* * *

Tendrils of morning light were just beginning to pass through the open window as Shepard stood next to Mara's crib. She was sleeping soundly, peacefully, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.

He knew he had to go. It was nearly 0600. But, standing here with his daughter, he found it hard to force himself away.

When he finally did move, he only stepped closer to the crib. He rested his hands on the smooth, old-fashioned, wooden crib, thinking of something to say.

"I'm sorry, Mara." She kept sleeping and he kept talking. "I'm sorry, but I need to go. I can't make you understand, but it helps me just to say that I'll be home soon." He carefully bent over and gently kissed her on her exposed cheek. "I love you, baby girl."

At his touch, Mara sleepily swatted her hand toward his face, grazing his nose. Shepard smiled wanly and straightened his back. Still feeling just as knotted and uncomfortable as before, he forced himself to leave Mara and the room.

Walking softly down the dark hallway, he came to the stairs. At the bottom stood Liara.

"You should've gone back to sleep," he whispered, not wanting to wake Mara. He stepped down the stairs and into the house's entryway.

Liara shook her head. "As if I could fall back to sleep even if I tried." She folded her arms. "I'll see if I can contact Feron or Miranda, get you some information."

Shepard stopped by the front door. "You haven't heard from them?"

"Not for a few weeks. But that happens, occasionally," she explained with a shrug. Without waiting for a response, she closed the gap between them. "Be careful. It was horrible enough waiting for you to come back safely during the war. But now…" her eyes drifted up the stairs in the direction of Mara's room.

Shepard grabbed her arm, her attention snapping to his unwavering gaze. "I will come back, Liara. Nothing will stop that."

Any fears or doubts she had been harboring vanished in that instant. His fiery, intense, laser-focused gaze had that effect. Shepard had pulled off some truly miraculous feats, each time returning to her. With his past experience, coupled with his unshakable determination, he would come back.

Suddenly at ease, Liara reached up and kissed him.

It lasted only a moment, but it was enough. The knot in his gut somewhat loosened, Shepard gave Liara one last hug before opening the door and stepping into the warm, summer morning.

* * *

Whipping through the air at high speed, Shepard took a moment to use the skycar's communicator to contact Ashley Williams. It took several moments before she finally answered.

"Captain?" From what he could see on the screen, she seemed to already be in New York City, near the harbor.

"Ash," Shepard greeted, checking the speed of the skycar. At this pace, he'd be in the city in twenty minutes. "I assume you've already been contacted?"

"Sure have. You get any additional intel?"

"Zip. Just the basic info, which is really all they have." He shot a glance down at the screen. Ash had lost the long hair and returned to the more familiar bun. She also wore her Staff Commander's uniform. "Is Joker there yet?"

"Yeah, he got here about fifteen minutes ago. Are we gonna be running on a skeleton crew?"  
"Most likely. And expect it to be a grumbly skeleton."

Ash smiled. "What's your ETA?"

He quickly checked the car's clock and his speed. "About twenty minutes." Ash nodded and raised a hand to end the call. "Oh! And Ash." She halted her hand and looked back to him. "See if you can't pull Zaeed Massani out of whatever hole he crawled into."

Her eyebrow shot up. "That merc you ran with back when you fought the Collectors?"

"The very same," he answered. "Zaeed knows Omega well, and I'll take whatever help I can get."

Ash crossed her arms. "What if he won't agree to come? I'm not about to _buy_ his services."

Shepard shook his head. "You won't have to. Just tell him I'm cashing in." When Ash didn't respond, he clarified, "He'll know what I'm talking about." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod.

"Alright, I'll go see if I can't find this guy. See you soon, Skipper." She ended the connection as Shepard thought back. She'd been calling him 'Skipper' since 2183. Eight years. Or six for him, considering that little 'black-out' he'd had. Still made him feel old, though. He was 34, pushing 35. Even though he should be 36 pushing 37. With a shake of his head he pushed it out of his mind. He did his best to not dwell on the whole Lazarus Project.

He spent the rest of the ride sitting in heavy silence, trying not to dwell on the fact that he was leaving his family, instead trying to concentrate on getting to the city, out to Omega, and dealing with this prick before things got out of hand. Though he did find it rather…odd that not only had Aria lost Omega-_again_-but that she had effectively disappeared.

_Once I get in touch with Miranda things will make more sense_, he reassured himself.

Eventually the massive metropolis that was New York City came into view. Shepard piloted the skycar toward the Alliance-controlled harbor, where the Normandy would be docked. He quickly glanced at the car's digital clock. _0700_. With luck, he, Zaeed, Ashley, Joker, and the rest of the crew would be departing for Omega in an hour.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 2 down, some unknown amount to go. Just so everybody knows, I'm writing this pretty much on the fly. The idea just sorta popped into my head over the weekend and I'm forming some plans on where I want to take this. I've got a _general_ idea on what I'm going to do, but I'll be ironing out the finer points as I go. And don't worry. Things will pick up soon.

Also, to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/added to their story alerts, **thank you**. It really does mean a lot.

Finally, please continue reviewing! Let me know what you think! It can be negative or positive, any feedback is much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Schwarzschild System, 2186

_A human and turian and another four-eyed species escorted him toward the ship's bridge. He walked quickly, Jorra's head horn firmly in hand, his eyes searching everything and anything._

_ "You know what this fucker is?" the human asked, cocking his head to the side._

_ "No idea. But the boss'll wanna talk with it." A distinctive flanging voice answered._

_ "And why is that?" Now the four eyed alien spoke, his voice harsh._

_ "Just look at it," the turian waved the barrel of his rifle at him, "he's a huge fucker with a salarian under his control, who's _vouching_ for him." The human snorted._

_ All the while, Jorra hurriedly and quietly translated what they were saying to him, though it wasn't necessary. It had been four days since they'd been 'captured' and he had already learned the human's language, most of the turian's, and some of the third one's. But it would be easier to do what he wanted if they thought him to be stupid and ignorant. He stifled a grin as he thought of using their ignorance to his advantage. _This is too easy_._

_ The ship was large and filled with mercenaries who called themselves the Blue Suns. The name meant nothing to him; all he saw was an opportunity he could exploit. _

_ Mercenaries stood to the side of the hallway and gawked at him as he and his escorts walked by. He grinned at each and every one of them. Unnerved, the assorted mercenaries always backed off. The more they feared him the easier everything would be._

_ He, Jorra, and their three escorts eventually made it to the bridge of the ship. Standing there was another, bald, human. The human turned to face them, icy, malicious eyes watching him. _

_ The human smirked. "I see you have a pet."_

_ "He's noticed that I am your hostage," Jorra translated, unknowingly unnecessary. He nodded, playing along._

_ "A translating pet, huh?" The human cackled._

_ "He's noticed that I am your translator," Jorra mumbled uncomfortably, and not just from the tight grip he exerted on his head horns._

_ "Tell him I am Darner Vosque," the human commanded, addressing Jorra. The salarian obeyed._

_ Speaking the salarian's language, he answered, "I am impressed by your strength, as well as the loyalty of your men."_

_ The escorts laughed and Vosque smiled. "My strength accounts for only part of their loyalty." Smiling wickedly, the human rubbed his fingers together. "Money is the other." Waiting for Jorra to relay the information, Vosque continued, walking up to his belly and looking up at him. "You are a big fucker, aren't you?"_

_ "He is complimenting your size," Jorra clarified sheepishly. He made no movements, at least none that any of these aliens would recognize._

_ "I can use a big fucker like you. Would you like that?" The bald human crossed his arms and looked him in his top eyes, arrogance oozing. _

_ "He is asking if you would like to work for him."_

_ "That is what I told your men," he pointed to the escorts. "I've been detained for too long. I want to fight, prove my worth."_

_ Vosque's eyes lit up. "So you're a big, _dumb_ fucker." His tongue whipped out and passed over his peculiar red lips. "Perfect."_

_ "He's…uh…satisfied with your commitment."_

_ "Good," he answered. Vosque's cold blue eyes gleamed. He had to stifle another grin. _This human actually thinks he can control_ me. _Just let him wait_…_

_ "You'll do everything I say, understand you stupid oaf? I'm making you my personal errand boy. You kill who I say, fight when I say, get what I say, do _every_thing I say, when I say it. Got it?" _

_ When Jorra finished, he nodded simply. _Just play along, just play along_…_

_ Vosque grinned widely. "Then follow my boys here, they'll get you situated." Darner paused a moment and cast his stare on Jorra, busy grimacing in pain. "You'll stay his pet. After all, my pet isn't much use if he can't understand a single thing I say, can he?" Vosque patted him on the stomach. "Ain't that right, fat boy?" _

_ "But-no," Jorra began, horrified. "You can't do that!" _

_ Vosque cast his head back and cackled with pure malice. "I sure can and will! You're not worth the time or hassle of getting a ransom from the Salarian Union, and even then they probably wouldn't negotiate." The escorts joined in the rolling laughter, the bridge echoing with the cruel noise._

_ "Let's go," he ordered, tugging on his pet's horns. Too horrified, confused, hopeless, and depressed, Jorra offered no resistance. Happy with that, he began to follow the escorts away from the bridge._

_ "Wait!" He turned back. Vosque was approaching them. "One last thing." Darner jabbed his chest with a thin finger. "If you work for me, I want a name. Give it up."_

_ He continued the act and waited for his pet to translate. He centered all four eyes on Darner Vosque who, to his credit, did not flinch._

_ "I am Gorrik Tsendorvog."  
_

* * *

Sol System, 2191

Shepard sat hunched over at his desk aboard the _Normandy_, his eyes scanning the console with Sarterus Kavorian's dossier. It was just past 0840 and the Normandy was about twenty minutes from hitting the Charon Relay. With the ship in good hands, despite there being only a skeleton crew, Shepard had retreated up to his cabin to familiarize himself with the turian Spectre and get some rest. After hitting the relay, it would still be another six hours, at least, before they reached Omega.

As he read, the more impressed he became with the turian. Born in 2147, Sarterus had been born on Palaven and joined the military in 2162, when he was 15. When he turned 21 he was accepted into Blackwatch, one of the youngest operatives ever. Shepard wondered if Sarterus had a dossier on him which detailed how he was one of the youngest N7 operatives in history.

In 2180, when he turned 33, Sarterus became a Spectre. Shepard felt himself bristle when he noticed that his mentor had been Tela Vasir. Bitter memories popped up like weeds when he thought back to that time.

Most of Sarterus' actions as a Spectre involved hunting and breaking up slaver rings and terror cells, something that Shepard commended with enthusiasm, especially when he observed that Sarterus had a habit of neutralizing the threats as opposed to arresting them. _Scum like that deserve to die_, he thought. The one crime he believed warranted an immediate death sentence was slavery.

What impressed him most about Kavorian's history was that during the Reaper War he had remained on Palaven the entire time. He had received nearly a dozen medals for rescuing civilians, fellow soldiers, even krogan.

Overall, Shepard found himself excited to work with Sarterus Kavorian. Older with vast experience and a nearly ruthless demeanor, he would be invaluable going into Omega. With Kavorian, Ashley, and Zaeed, Shepard was beginning to feel very confident that they'd have this situation uprooted and withering before long.

Satisfied with what he'd read, Shepard closed the dossier and glanced at the clock. It was nearly 0900. With a jab of his finger, he activated the intercom.

"Joker, we near the relay?"

"About five minutes, Captain," he answered.

"Perfect. I'm going to get some sleep, notify me if anything pops up."

"Got it, I love being an alarm clock."

Shepard turned the intercom off. About to stand, he stopped himself and sat back down. _Liara hasn't sent me anything from Miranda_…

Curious, he tried to contact the former Cerberus operative. He tried her console located at her main base, wherever that was. The console pulsed an orange _Connecting _and Shepard drummed his fingers on the table, waiting.

_Unavailable_.

"What?" He tried to get through again. _Connecting…Connecting…Connecting…Unavailable_.

Shepard frowned. Miranda almost always answered, Feron taking the rest. He had never gotten an _Unavailable_. With mounting suspicion, he tried to contact Miranda directly, trying to contact her personal omni-tool. This time he got an immediate _No Signal_.

"What the hell, Miranda?" he growled. As he tried to rationalize the situation, he could feel the twisted knot in his gut start to tighten. Miranda was too intelligent, and the goddamn Shadow Broker, to let communications black out.

He considered calling Liara to see if she had gotten through, but he ultimately decided against it. He needed some sleep and maybe, despite his gut's warning, this whole thing _could_ be easily explained. Maybe, for once, Murphy's Law wouldn't mess things up too heavily.

So, attempting to push the tension aside, Shepard tore off his boots and clothes and collapsed on his bed, almost immediately falling asleep.

* * *

Sahrabarik System, 2191

Joker broke his heavy, dreamless sleep.

"Wakey, wakey, Captain. Did you have sweet dreams?"

Shepard rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Of rainbows and lollipops." He pushed himself off the bed. He hadn't actually dreamt, but that was better than nightmares. Padding up to his desk, he activated the console. "Where are we, Joker?"

"Sahrabarik system, about half an hour from Omega. I woke you after we got an encrypted message from some turian Spectre. Figured you'd wanna take a look." The console pinged as the message was sent.

"Thanks, Joker. And keep your eyes peeled and be ready for anything. We might not get a warm welcoming party."

"Pssh, c'mon Captain. Have a little faith in me." Joker switched the intercom off and Shepard sat at his desk, his bare skin prickling against the cool metal chair.

Accessing the message, which EDI had decrypted, a video began to play. A turian with simple, dark, green face paint immediately began to talk. Shepard noticed one of his fringes had been broken and a raking scar ran the length of the right side of his head.

"Captain Shepard," Sarterus Kavorian stated in a low, gravelly voice. "I've read quite a bit about you, in addition to what I've already heard." He scratched his face paint with a talon. "I'm already on Omega. I approached in a shuttle launched by my ship, which has already left the system. We'll figure out where to meet after you send me a confirmation message. I advise that you approach in a shuttle as well. It would raise suspicions if an Alliance frigate docked. So send a message ASAP." Sarterus lifted his talon to end the message before adding, "And Shepard. I look forward to working with you." The video cut to black.

Shepard sat in silence for a moment. _Guy speaks as damn fast as a salarian_.

He pushed the observation out of his mind and typed out a short response.

_Got your message. Send one back with a location to meet. Note: I am bringing Spectre Ashley Williams and a friend, Zaeed Massani_.

"EDI!"

"Yes?" she answered immediately, her cool voice filling his small office space.

"Forward this message to Sarterus Kavorian."

"One moment, Shepard…done."

"Thanks. Also, have Joker engage the stealth drive and have Zaeed and Ash meet me in the armory in ten minutes."

"Will do." As her voice faded, Shepard opened a connection to his home back in New York. It barely rang once before Liara answered.

"Taylor! Where are you?" Not five seconds into the conversation and she already looked worried.

Shepard raised a hand and smiled, feeling it actually reach his eyes this time. "About a half hour from Omega."

"Is Zaeed with you?"

"Yeah. Bastard wouldn't come without me cashing in the debt, though."

"Well, at least he's there." She paused. "I couldn't reach Miranda."

Shepard, for at least the hundredth time that day, felt his guts tighten. "You too?" Liara looked surprised.

"You tried to contact her? When?"

"Just before we left Sol. Tried contacting her office place-wherever the hell that is- _and_ her omni-tool. Nothing." He waved his hand for emphasis.

The two fell into another silence.

"That can't be a coincidence," she warned.

"I know. Something's up," Shepard conceded. As much as he hated admitting it, something was definitely wrong. He brushed it off though and tried changing the subject. "How's Mara? Where is she?" Liara leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table before her.

"She's sleeping. I just finished feeding her."

"Oh." Shepard didn't bother trying to hide his disappointment.

"She'll be awake when you call back, though," Liara provided, perking up slightly. "I'm sure she would love to see you."

"Yeah. In person would be better, though," he grumbled. He pushed his chair backward. "I'm sorry, but I gotta get going."

"Be safe, Taylor."

"I always am." He winked, she laughed, and they ended the conversation. He had hoped to see Mara before he went, had hoped to talk with Liara for longer, and had hoped for something less ominous about Miranda. But life just wasn't that easy.

Dressing quickly, Shepard exited his cabin, took the elevator down to the mess hall, grabbed two protein bars and a mug of coffee, and ate in the elevator as he continued down. He tossed the empty wrappers in the garbage chute as he strode into the armory.

"'Bout time you guddamn got here," Zaeed grunted, leaning against one of the work benches in his classic yellow and white armor. Ash, standing across from him, rolled her eyes. The shuttle pilot, Greg Davies, and the few engineers standing around kept quiet.

"Nice to see you too, Zaeed," Shepard grinned. Surprisingly, he and Zaeed had become pretty friendly during their time on the SR-2. What happened on Zorya and the Collector Base had deepened their mutual respect.

"So are we going soon, Skipper?" Ash asked, stepping forward. Hair still in a bun, she now wore her standard Alliance blue armor.

Shepard nodded. "We're taking the shuttle, though, and we're meeting Sarterus Kavorian somewhere on the station."

"And who the bloody hell is that?"

"A turian Spectre we'll be working with." Zaeed grunted his understanding and folded his arms.

"Where will that be?" Ash asked, ignoring the old mercenary.

"I'm waiting on-"

"Shepard, I have a message from Spectre Sarterus Kavorian," EDI broke in.

"Send it to my omni-tool," he ordered, taking a sip of his coffee. A moment later a message popped up, displaying a map of Omega and a white dot flashing on the docks. A little flag connected to it, reading _here_.

Zaeed walked up to look at the map. "That's the Gozu district."

"We'll land there?" Ashley, too, walked closer to get a better look.

"I guess so," Shepard answered, holding the brim of the mug to his lips, the warmth heating his face. He looked up to the pilot who was making himself busy by fiddling with shuttle. "Davies!"

The young pilot dropped his tools with a clang and sprung to attention, his back ram-rod straight. "Captain, sir!" Zaeed snickered.

"You'll be flying us in. Get the shuttle prepped."

"Yes sir!" Davies jumped back to work. Even though he had hand-picked the entire _Normandy_ crew and liked Davies, Shepard still found himself missing Cortez. He'd survived the crash in London only to die in another a few years later while helping mop up pockets of Reapers.

"You two, get your gear prepped," Shepard motioned toward Zaeed and Ashley. "We leave in ten minutes."

"Got it."

"Aye-aye, Shepard."

The three of them dispersed to various corners of the _Normandy's _armory, Zaeed to the table he'd been leaning against moments before, Ash to the far corner, and Shepard to the table situated where James Vega had stayed during the Reaper War. _Wonder how he's doin'_, Shepard wondered. He hadn't seen Vega since his N7 graduation two years ago, though they had kept in touch with regular messages.

His fingers moving deftly, Shepard assembled his weapons. Grinning like a kid on Christmas morning, he pieced his Black Widow together. A sniper at heart, the Widow was easily the greatest rifle he had ever had the honor of handling. Falling into a comfortable and familiar rhythm, Shepard assembled his M-77 Paladin, his primary sidearm, and the N7-Locust, his trusty sub-machine gun.

With his weapons ready, he set to donning his hard suit. After sealing the suit, he attached the weapons to his hips and back and checked that he had spare medi-gel and thermal clips safely secured in his various pouches. Pulling his helmet on, he checked the armor's systems. Satisfied everything was in working order, Shepard approached the shuttle and sat down inside.

A few minutes later, Zaeed and Ashley came over, both armed to the teeth and fully prepared to take on Omega.

"Ready, Skipper?" Ash asked, taking a seat next to him.

Davies jumped into the shuttle and brought the vehicle to life.

"Open comms with the _Normandy_," Shepard ordered the pilot.

Seconds later, Joker's voice filled the shuttle. "Not even away and already missing me, Captain? Should I feel complimented or worried?" Shepard ignored his remarks.

"We'll be using this frequency while on Omega. Joker, keep the _Normandy_ hidden and remain in the system."

"Got it, Captain."

Shepard turned to address Davies. "We'll be meeting Sarterus in the Gozu district. Take us in nice and easy and keep the shuttle warm in case we need to make a quick getaway."

"Aye-aye, Captain."

"Everyone understand what they're doing?"

Ash nodded. Zaeed grumbled, "Let's deal with this guddamn prick and so I can go home." Shepard tapped Davies on the shoulder, signaling him to slip the shuttle out of the _Normandy_ and out towards Omega.

* * *

Omega, 2191

"Sarterus Kavorian. Nice to finally meet you, Shepard." The tall turian extended his hand, which Shepard took and shook vigorously. Sarterus wore jet black armor and wielded at an assault rifle, shotgun, and a pistol, though Shepard had a distinct feeling he had more hidden weapons. His scars also looked far more impressive in person. Not as impressive as Garrus', though most people didn't survive a rocket to the face. It also came as a surprise that Sarterus had an easy and friendly demeanor.

"Likewise." He pointed behind him. "This is Ashley Williams and Zaeed Massani."

"Hello there," Sarterus greeted with his throaty, flanging voice. The four of them stood in the far corner of a plaza filled with hundreds of passers-by, none of whom took notice of the heavily armed group. Then again, on Omega, seeing groups of heavily armed individuals wasn't all too uncommon.

Zaeed huffed a greeting while Ash shook Sarterus' hand.

"So do you have any plan of action?" Shepard asked quietly.

Sarterus glanced around them, his mandibles flattening. In low tones, he responded, "I've made some contacts on the station over the years and sent out some feelers. A merchant I know, a batarian named Gorul Dran'dah, said he might have some info. I suggest we talk to him first, get an idea of what happened."

"So you don't know much of this King or what happened to Aria?"

"No, but Gorul might. It's worth a shot, at least." Sarterus watched Shepard think.

"Fair enough, though I think we should split up. Zaeed here," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "worked on Omega for a while. Me and him will go see what we can shake up, you and Ash go meet this Gorul. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ash responded, stepping towards Sarterus. The bulky turian shrugged.

Sarterus pointed at him. "Keep in contact." Shepard nodded and the two of them merged into the pulsing crowd. Watching them disappear from sight, Shepard turned to Zaeed.

"Any ideas?"

"There's a Blue Suns lieutenant near here named Gunther Wright that knows me. Real bastard, but he'll talk to me," he cracked his knuckles menacingly, "or we can make him."

"Beating mercs isn't exactly clandestine, Zaeed," Shepard chided. Zaeed shrugged.

"Got any better ideas?" he rasped.

"Good point." Shepard waved his arms forward. "Lead the way, old man."

"Shut the fuck up, pretty boy."

* * *

Shepard and Zaeed stood in front of a small building in the Kima district. It hadn't been far from here that he had saved Garrus from the hordes of mercenaries.

Zaeed folded his arms. "This is it. Gunther'll be in there."

Shepard looked at Zaeed, getting a good look at his heavily scarred side. "You sure? It looks…pretty rundown for a Blue Suns lieutenant to be holed up in."

"Positive. Now we gonna go, or stand here with our thumbs up our arses?"

Shepard shook his head. "Alright, well how're we gonna get in? Knock?"

"'Course." Zaeed started forward and hammered on the locked door and looked into the camera. "Gunther! Open the guddamn door!"

"Zaeed, that'll-"

The door slid open.

"Wow." _That shit never works for me_.

Zaeed cocked his head over his shoulder and smirked. "You coming?"

With another shake of his head, Shepard walked into the dilapidated building. The first thing that he noticed was that the entire building was empty of any Blue Suns. Puzzling and unusual, but nothing to get worked up over.

Clambering up the stairs, Shepard warily followed his companion, his hand resting on the handle of his Paladin, ready to whip it out at the slightest provocation.

The two of them came out of the stairwell and into a small room containing a dozen monitors and an open window on the far wall. Sitting behind a desk in the instantly recognizable blue armor sat a small, bald human male that Shepard took to be Gunther.

"Gunther," Zaeed barked, answering Shepard's thoughts. The man looked up, the table separating the three of them. He watched them warily.

"Massani," he said slowly, taking a cigarette out of a pack resting on the table. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Came to talk you runt." Gunther scowled and lit the cig.

"Then hurry up. I'm busy."

"Busy with what? Watching people?" Shepard asked, gazing at the various screens displaying different locations in the district. "Is this some sort of spying center?" Gunther averted his eyes from Shepard's and turned back to Zaeed.

"Who the fuck is this guy, Massani? A new protégé?" He cackled, smoke puffing from his mouth and nose and filling the room.

"Don't worry about him. Just answer my questions."

Gunther leaned his chair back and crossed his arms defiantly. "And why should I do that?" He took a puff.

Zaeed jumped forward and slammed his fist on the table, sending the pack of cigarettes flying in the air along with Gunther. "'cause if you don't I'll kick your guddamn face in!"

Gunther threw his hands in the air. "Fuck's sake, relax! Relax!"

Zaeed slowly straightened and the small merc shakily inhaled the smoke. Shepard marveled at how this twitchy scumbag made it into the Blue Suns. He turned his attention back to the screens and let Zaeed handle the questioning.

"What happened to Aria?" Shepard grimaced. He was stellar in combat but utterly useless in interrogations. _I should've handled this_…

Gunther put the pieces together quickly. "Aria? Are you here about the King?" He twisted in his seat to look at Shepard. "Is this guy a fuckin' Spectre?" He turned back to Zaeed. "Are you insane, Massani?" The merc made a move to stand but Shepard slammed him back down, taking his Paladin out of its holster and holding it tightly in his hand.

"Sit down and answer the question," Shepard ordered calmly, making sure Gunther could see the pistol.

"Holy shit!" Gunther's eyes widened. "I can't tell you two anythin'!"

Zaeed edged forward and sat on the table. "And why's that?"

"They'll kill me! God, why the _hell _did I let you in?"

Shepard tightened his grip. "If you don't cooperate, you'll have _us_ to worry about." Though he hoped it wouldn't come to it, he would lose no sleep over killing Gunther Wright.

"Holy shit! Alright, okay!" The cigarette fell from his mouth. "What the hell do you two wanna know?"

Zaeed smiled. "What happened to Aria?"

"Bitch got kicked out. Boss made sure of that." Both Zaeed and Shepard scowled at the same instant.

"Your boss? Darner Vosque is in charge now?" Shepard asked. "_He's_ the King?"

"I dunno! I swear!" Gunther threw his hands up. "Vosque kinda dropped off the radar a few years ago, but no one ever really replaced him."

Shepard looked up to Zaeed who looked just as confused. "No way Vosque could outdo Aria." The scarred mercenary nodded in agreement.

"Bloody bastard was ruthless, but he was no guddamn Vido. That prick wouldn't have the brains to do this. Or the balls." Zaeed looked back to the quivering Gunther. "So the Blue Suns are in charge now?"

"No, we're all-" Gunther stopped himself and clamped his mouth shut. Shepard could physically feel him tighten. His annoyance growing, he brought the Paladin up and pushed the barrel into Gunther's ear.

"Talk," he hissed.

"I can't!" Gunther was panicking. "They'll know, they'll kill me!"

"You thick idiot!" Zaeed shouted over him. "You got a gun to your head _now_!" He punched the table again and Shepard applied more pressure. "Now _talk_!"

"ALRIGHT!" Gunther nearly cried. "Holy fuck, don't kill me!" The two of them allowed him a moment to catch his racing breath. "Eclipse, Blood Pack, and Blue Suns are working together. I don't know everything, but I heard all the bosses are fully cooperating."

"Bullshit," Zaeed spat.

"I swear! I dunno what their plans are, but they _are_ working together! And they're…" Shepard prodded him by pressing the Paladin even closer. "They're recruiting new aliens," he muttered.

Zaeed's eyes widened with surprise. Shepard didn't know what to feel.

"New aliens? The hell you talkin' about?"

"Big fuckers. I dunno what or who they are, I've never even seen one in person," Gunther explained hurriedly.

"Is it true the King is trying to unite the Terminus? Do they want war with the Council?" Shepard asked.

"I have no idea! I'm just a goddamn grunt who gets to sit and look at people walk around!"

"You know a lot 'bout other things," Zaeed snapped harshly.

"Is Aria alive?"

Gunther tried to look up at Shepard but recoiled once he clobbered him on the temple with the pistol. "I don't know!" Shepard allowed him to feel the blood running down his face with his fingers.

Unsure what else to ask, the three fell into an uneasy silence, filled only by Gunther's ragged breathing. "Watch him," Shepard ordered after a minute. Zaeed nodded and pulled out his Avenger assault rifle, training it on the younger mercenary's chest.

Pacing back toward the window and resting a hand on the sill, Shepard holstered his pistol and radioed Ashley.

"Ash, have you two learned anything?"

Her voice crackling slightly, she answered a second later. "Sarterus is still talking with the batarian, but he's telling us some _weird_ shit. Like all the merc groups working together." She paused. "How about you?"

"Me and Zaeed just finished a pleasant conversation with a Blue Suns grunt. We got the same info, along with some other…stuff."

"…Like what?"

"The groups are recruiting new aliens and possibly trying to unite the Terminus."

There was an intake of breath. "To start a war?"

"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances. Patch Sarterus on, we need to talk." Without answering, Ash did as she was told. A moment later Sarterus' voice crackled across.

"Shepard, what's going on?" As quickly as possible, Shepard relayed what he and Zaeed had learned. The turian Spectre paused to think. "How would you like to handle this?"

"I think the situation is far too serious to simply leave and report our findings." He heard both Sarterus and Ashley hum in agreement. "We need to end this before it gets out of hand. I say we find out where this 'King' is and neutralize him. End it here and now."

"I agree, but we should probably return to the _Normandy_ to figure out a plan," Ashley added. "We can have EDI scan Omega to try and pinpoint his location. And his identity."

"Williams is right. It would be foolish to run around blindly when we can wait a few hours and execute a planned mission."

"True." Knowing that Zaeed could hear what was being said, Shepard added, "Have any insight you'd like to add?"

"I like living, so I say regroup and plan," the mercenary grumped.

"Then we have a plan. Sarterus, our ship is in the system and we have room. Come with us to our shuttle and we'll all go back to the _Normandy_."

"Sounds fine. Williams and I will start heading back now. Rendezvous at the shuttle?"

"Affirmative. Me and Zaeed will leave now as well."

The door to the building hissed open.

Every nerve in his body tingling, Shepard whipped out his pistol, crossed over, grabbed Gunther around the neck and pulled him out of the chair and close to his body, aiming the Paladin over his shoulder.

Zaeed, just as attuned and alert, lunged across the table and flipped it over, ducking behind and resting his Avenger over the lip, aiming at the stairwell.

"Shepard, what's-"

"Ash, Sarterus, get to the shuttle now," he ordered, his tone calm and even. "We've been compromised. You may be in danger, leave now."

He heard Ash start to argue but Sarterus drowned her out. "We need to leave, Williams. Shepard, we'll come back for you."

"Wouldn't expect anything else." The radio went silent. He resisted the urge to contact the _Normandy_ or Davies in the shuttle for fear that the incoming hostiles were scanning for communications.

Heavy footsteps raced up the stairs. _That sounds like krogan. Could it be the Blood Pack_?

He could feel Gunther trembling, his hands gripping and clawing at Shepard's forearm. With all his attention focused on the stairs, he barely noticed.

The footsteps were loud. Abnormally loud, even for a krogan. Who the hell-

Two massive forms rushed into the room, Revenants in hand. The pit of Shepard's stomach dropped. These weren't krogan. These were _yahgs_. Fucking yahgs.

Zaeed noticeably tensed, preparing to fire.

"Wait!" Shepard ordered. He'd fought a yahg before and had only made it out after Liara had used some fancy biotics. Here, he was up against _two_ with only a fellow soldier.

"Shepard, what the fuck am I looking at?" Zaeed growled, the barrel of his rifle swiveling from one target to the next.

"Yahgs."

The one on the right, standing at least eight feet tall with modified armor, spoke up. "We are here to bring you in. Alive. Drop your weapons."

"Help-" Shepard choked Gunther off before he could finish. While the first one spoke, he watched as the second, even taller one, watch them all with its four eyes, watching their every, miniscule move.

_This is so fucking bad_.

"Back the fuck off before I empty your guddamn heads!" Zaeed threatened. The second yahg laughed, a deep rumbling sound that reminded Shepard of two stones crashing together.

"Zaeed, back up slowly towards me."

He did so, his aim never wavering.

"You cannot hope to escape, humans," the first yahg said, stepping forward. The second one began to circle toward the end of the upturned table, blocking the stairwell and any scant hopes Shepard held of escaping through the front door. Which were pretty damn low to begin with.

"We're not escaping." Shepard tried to keep his body absolutely still and his eyes locked on the yahgs. He couldn't afford to give away any indications of his plan. "We're leaving. Nobody gets hurt and we all forget about this."

The two yahgs laughed like an avalanche of boulders.

In a matter of seconds, the room exploded in gunfire.

The instant the yahgs began laughing, Shepard shoved Gunther forward and fired a single bullet through his head, spraying the first yahg scarlet.

"Through the window!"

Zaeed hurled himself through the window behind them as the second yahg ripped the air with the booming fire of his Revenant, splinters of wood and metal and concrete flying as he hit the table and floor.

Without hesitation, Shepard leapt through the window behind Zaeed as the first yahg opened fire. As Gunther's corpse hit the floor, Shepard landed on top of Zaeed on the alley floor below.

"GO!" He shouted. Climbing off, the pulled Zaeed to his feet. The two began a mad sprint as one of the yahgs fired through the window.

"Where?" Zaeed managed between gasps.

Shepard forced his legs to pump faster. "Away from them!"

The single thought of _get the fuck away_ dominated his mind. He and Zaeed stood no chance of taking the yahgs on in a straight fight. Their best, their only, chance stood in escaping entirely. Easier said than done, considering they were possibly stranded on a space station filled with criminals, mercenaries, probably more yahgs, and the 'King' who'd all be gunning for them.

The two exited the alley and sprinted down a street towards the transports. Not willing to risk slowing down to look over his shoulder, Shepard just continued to run, unsure if they were being pursued by the behemoths.

Chest heaving and sweat dampening his skin, Shepard slowed to a halt behind a building, the transports about one hundred feet ahead. Gasping for breath, Zaeed slammed to halt beside him.

"_Bloody…guddamn…hell_," he panted.

"Watch our backs." Shepard peeked out from the side of the wall to get a look at the transports while Zaeed aimed his rifle back down the suddenly deserted street. And that was _never_ a good sign.

As Shepard scanned the area, his stomach lurched. _Oh, fuck us_.

Mercenaries from the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack guarded the area. He lost count after fifty.

"Zaeed, we got a pretty big problem."

"What?"

"At least fifty mercs are between us and those transports."

"Shit!"

Shepard paused to formulate a plan. "Okay, here's what-"

"Incoming! Move!" Zaeed fired off two bursts before Shepard noticed what he was talking about. One of the yahgs was hustling down the street right for them.

His plan flew out the window. "We gotta fight for a transport!"  
Without waiting for a reply, Shepard pulled out his Locust and sprinted for the transports, Zaeed hot on his heels. Unable to afford the luxury of cover, the two were forced to run'n'gun, topping mercs as the opportunity presented itself. With the yahg bearing down on them, they had the oppressing feeling of desperation on their side, as well as surprise.

Shepard, dual wielding the Paladin and Locust, dropped a Blue Suns merc in a puff of red spray with the Locust while a vorcha's head exploded like a ripe fruit under a barrage of fire from the Paladin.

Zaeed brought down a turian and a batarian in the same burst, hammering in a new thermal clip. He looked over his shoulder. "That fucker is gaining, Shepard!" he bellowed. Shepard could just make out the hint of desperation in his voice over the deafening gunfire.

"I know! Just blow a hole through these assholes and get in a shuttle!" With a burst of the Locust he took out the knees of another human, sending him careening to the ground, screaming in agony. Shepard leapt over his body and aimed his Paladin at a group of turians. His shields began flashing red as he took more and more fire. Together, they had dropped maybe ten or fifteen. The rest were putting up a wall of fire, keeping the two from getting close to the transport shuttles.

In a frantic attempt to push through, Zaeed rushed forward, his Avenger running red hot, screaming a vicious war cry when the bullet caught him in the stomach.

His shields overloaded from the close range, the bullet tore through his body with a spurt of ruby blood. He barked a grunt and dropped to his knees.

"Zaeed!" Shepard charged forward. It didn't matter at this point. The yahg had to only be feet away. With death advancing from both sides, he decided to make it count in some way.

He slid on the gore coating the ground and caught the falling mercenary. Raising his pistol, he managed to fire off two rounds, taking down the turian, his blue blood gushing out of his neck.

A white hot poker gored his left shoulder as his shields overloaded. A second punched him in the mid-chest. Searing pain wiped his mind white. The deafening gunfire stopped and Shepard looked up. The yahg stood above him, his eyes pitch black, unfeeling.

Images of Mara and Liara flashed through his mind. _I love you_.

The yahg raised a fist and flew down as a blur.

Shepard's head snapped back and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Earth, 2191

Liara sat at her desk, typing another chapter for her book about the Protheans. Javik had relented after multiple requests to sit down to a series of interviews, much to her excitement. Now, a year later and only halfway through, the work never seemed to end, but she enjoyed it.

She glanced at the time. It took her a moment to realize that it had been over ten hours since Taylor had contacted her. It took her another moment to realize she had worked well into the night once more.

_It's nothing_, she reassured herself, _he is fine. It has just taken a little longer than he thought_…

She tried to continue typing, but a prickling feeling of uncertainty and dread kept niggling at her.

"Stop," Liara scolded herself. "He is fine." _She_ didn't feel fine, though. Forcing herself to relax, she once again began to type.

The doorbell rang.

Liara snapped straight in her chair, her blood running cold. _It is nothing, I imagined it_. The bell rang again. _It must be a mistake; no one would come here so late_.

The bell rang for a third time. Trying to keep calm, Liara rose slowly and made her way out of her office, through their room, and down the hall. Standing at the top of the stairs, she stared at the door. _It is nothing, he's fine_.

Walking down the stairs, she gripped the door, took a deep breath, and pulled it open. An asari stood there, her hands clasped behind her back.

_Not Alliance_, Liara observed immediately. _He's fine_.

"Liara T'Soni?" the darker asari asked. "I am Athara T'Lora. I work for the Council."

Liara's heart stopped. "Why-" the words caught in her throat. "What do you need?"

"It is my deepest regret to inform you that your bondmate, Captain Taylor Shepard of the Alliance and Council Spectre, has gone missing while on assignment." T'Lora remained stoic. "We have no information as to his current state or whereabouts, but rest assured we are working to bring him home." The asari paused.

Liara felt the world crashing around her. She didn't know what to do. Terrible fury, sapping despair, and horrible fear threatened to overwhelm her. Taylor was missing on Omega. What could she do?

"Ma'am?" the other asari asked quietly. "Another official will be here in a matter of hours to help you…do you require assistance now?"

"I-" Liara placed a hand on her chest. "No. Please, just leave." She threw the door shut and the tears began to spill down her face. _Goddess, he is missing_.

Crying and in a daze, Liara found herself walking in Mara's room. Carefully, she picked up her daughter and held her in her arms, sitting on the chair Taylor had sat in the day before. Mara woke up and moaned quietly. Liara soothed her and rubbed her soft skin.

"He'll come back, he'll come back." Mara rested her head against Liara's chest and was soon asleep. _He wouldn't abandon her or me. He is missing, not dead. He will come back, he will_.

* * *

Omega, 2191

Dull, throbbing pain mixed with a far-off voice woke him.

"Get up." A shove against his shoulder sends pain lancing down his side. "Get up." Another shove. Slowly, with a grimace and groan, Shepard forced himself out of his stupor.

He cracked his left eye open while his right remained swollen shut and could see practically nothing. In an instant of uncertainty, he lifted his left hand to rub his eyes, only to be rewarded with more pain shooting down his side.

"Jesus!" Gingerly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning against a smooth, cold wall. Slowly blinking, he began to take in his surroundings as his vision adjusted to the semi-darkness.

Directly across from him was a locked door, its red light filling the room with dull, dim, red light. The rest of the room was bare. Cold and made of metal, it was not a welcoming place. The only other warm presence in the room was Zaeed, who Shepard could make out sitting a few feet away to his left.

Wincing as he peered over, Shepard took a look at him. Even in the dim light, he could tell the merc had seen better days. Zaeed sat with a hunch, his right hand clamped down on his abdomen which was slick with ruby blood, the light from the door giving it an even more sinister appearance. His already disfigured face was even more distorted, with a clearly broken and swollen jaw and nose.

"'bout time you woke up," his voice even raspier than usual.

Shepard picked up his right hand and rubbed his neck. "You have any idea what time it is?" He looked around again. "Or _where_ we are, for that matter?" As Zaeed began to respond, he began to check himself for wounds.

"That big bastard knocked me out, so I don't know where. And I woke up around an hour ago. That's all I know." Zaeed searched Shepard with his focused and alert eyes. "What's broken on you?"

Moving his toes and feet, he was pleased to find himself fully functional. So no broken bones in his legs or anything wrong with his spine. He squinted as he felt with his right hand for the holes in his side. The first round had punctured right through him, a small hole about a quarter-inch in diameter in his left shoulder. The other was more serious, a slightly larger hole just below his ribcage.

"Not too bad, I think." He lightly touched his face, exploring with his fingertips. All he felt were lumps, scrapes, and sensitive bruises. "My nose is definitely broken. And I've got a nasty black eye. Can't open my right eye."

"Shit, Shepard, I coulda told you that. What about the rest?"

Shepard would have chuckled if his ribs didn't feel like they would snap. Instead, he wheezed. "The one in my shoulder is nothing. No serious damage. The one in my chest probably fractured some ribs."

"Did it hit a lung?"

"No. The only thing I need to worry about is a bone breaking and puncturing it."

"That it?"

"Aside from a possible neck fracture, yeah. Everything's just fucking perfect." Shepard squinted again at his wrist. _They took my omni-tool_. He rested his head back against the wall. _And my helmet_.

So, weaponless, injured, no way of communication, and captured. Things were just perfect.

Pushing his discomfort away, Shepard shifted to get a better look at Zaeed. "How bad are you?"

Zaeed grunted. "Took a shot in the gut. Same as you with the face. That's it."

"Is it still bleeding?"

"Barely."

Shepard stuffed his hand into his pouches, looking for medi-gel or even a goddamn protein bar. Instead, he found nothing. Their captors had stripped them of everything aside from their actual suits and clothing.

So now helpless as well. He had nothing to alleviate Zaeed's pain or help his injury.

_John Shepard's skull explodes and splatters his chest._

_ Toombs shrieks as the thresher maw drags him away into the abyss_.

_Stop_, he commanded himself. If there was one thing Shepard loathed more than being helpless, it was being reminded of those _other_ times. When he had discovered the true meaning behind helplessness.

_The here and now_. Breathing shallowly, he focused himself.

"Did you hear anything about Ash and Sarterus?"

"No."

"Has anyone been here?"

"No."

Shepard grit his teeth. "And you have _no_ idea where we _might_ be?"

Zaeed paused. "This might be Afterlife. One of the other side rooms."

Once again, Shepard looked around. It was _possible_, _just _possible, that this had been the recruiting room he had gone in when going after Archangel. But impossible to be certain. But if it was in fact Afterlife, then it would make escape infinitesimally easier. Barely an edge, but he and Zaeed couldn't afford not to seize any presented advantage.

The old merc broke the silence. "You got a plan?"

"We take the opportunity when it presents itself," Shepard said simply. "We're not in any shape to make an escape attempt now or likely anytime soon."

"So we take any abuse that these bloody bastards decide to throw at us?"

"I doubt they'll throw anything at us until after they talk to us." They lapsed into another silence.

"How long 'till your Spectre buddies get here?"

"Soon as they can, I imagine."

Zaeed grunted. "If I'd known this is what I'd get dragged into, I'd've just let the guddamn Collectors end me." He rasped a chuckle. "Or I should've told you to fuck off."

Shepard found himself smiling. "If I'd have known this would've happened, I would've taken a fucking army with me." The two laughed. It wasn't even funny, but it eased the tension. At least a little.

Green light bathed the room.

Their laughter ceased and Shepard stiffened. Someone was coming.

The door slid open and a shadow threw a form into the room. As the door slid shut and crimson light returned, the form hit the unforgiving floor with a loud thump and a grunt.

His eye on the door, Shepard slowly shifted himself forward toward the body. Zaeed burned holes through the limp body with his glare.

Balancing on his knees, he reached out and pulled the form onto its back. His eyes widened with shock. It was a drell.

"Feron!"

The drell looked bad. He was bloodied, bruised, and broken. By the look of his clothes, it seemed as though he had been here for some time.

Shepard shook him again with his good arm. "Feron!"

"You know 'im?" Zaeed began to crawl forward.

"He works with Miranda! And if he's here…" The pieces fell together. Liara hadn't heard from either Feron or Miranda in a few weeks and neither of them had been able to contact the pair. Which meant that the King was a far more serious threat than Shepard had ever dared to imagine. He had at least two yahgs, an army consisting of _all_ the major mercenary groups, _and_ the Shadow Broker.

Feron's eyelids cracked open.

"What…who are you?"

"It's me. Shepard."

The drell's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. "_Shepard_?" he whispered, sounding incredulous. "What happened? Why are you _here_?"

"We had a bad fuckin' run in with the King," Zaeed snarled, resting just behind Shepard.

Through the dim light and his one eye, Shepard could see Feron look around in confusion. "This is Zaeed Massani," he said, jerking his head toward the other human. "The two of us came here with a pair of Spectres to take care of the hospitable monarch." Even in shitty situations, he still managed to keep his dry and sarcastic tone.

Feron turned his attention back to him. "Did you come here with another human?"

The words came as a punch to the gut.

"…How did you know?" Behind him Zaeed snarled a sigh.

"They just brought me back from an interrogation. As they brought me in, they were just leading her out. She had blue armor and brown hair," Feron spoke, his voice not much more than a weak whisper.

"Fuck!" Shepard swore, turning to look at Zaeed. "They got Ash."

"And I thought this couldn't get any worse…"

Though that left one crucial question: _what had happened to Sarterus_?

"Do you know where they might take her?" Shepard demanded.

Feron shook his head. "This used to be Afterlife, but she could still be _any_where. And Miranda…" the drell's voice faded.

Gripping the lapels of his tattered shirt, Shepard shook Feron again. "Do you know where she is? Miranda?"

Another shake of the head.

Shepard let himself fall backward into a sit and mulled over the new information. This King had somehow taken control of Omega and the three major mercenary bands, had an unknown number of yahg under his command, and had captured Miranda-the Shadow Broker- and Feron in addition to himself, Zaeed, and now Ash, meaning this fucker had two members of his crew in captivity somewhere on this godforsaken space station. The more he dwelled on their current predicament, the brighter and fiercer his anger burned.

The real question that had his attention, though, was _who_ was the King? He had an idea, but he couldn't be sure. Although…

"Feron, who is the King?"

The drell gulped. "It's just my luck, you know. Captured by one only to be captured by another a few years later." He coughed a humorless chuckle. Still flat on his back, Feron turned his head and looked at Shepard. "He's a yahg."

"As in one of those big fuckers runnin' around?" Zaeed asked, still clutching his wound. Feron nodded and Zaeed cursed.

Shepard rested his head in his right hand, his elbow propped up on his knee. So not only did the King have members of his crew in his custody, he was a _yahg_. That made the complicated and shitty situation even _more_ complicated and a _fucking_ shitty situation.

"How did no one realize?" Shepard asked, looking back up.

"The yahg hid his tracks well. We had no idea what was going on until a force of Eclipse and Blue Suns stormed our headquarters and captured us nearly two months ago."

Shepard frowned. "And what about Aria? Where the hell is she?"

"I don't know."

"Well, is she _dead_? _Alive_? Captured?" His tone was harsher than it should have been. He knew he had no right to be taking his anger and frustration out on the injured drell, but he couldn't stop himself.

"I don't know, Shepard. I truly don't," Feron answered softly. Zaeed muttered another curse and began to drag himself back to the wall.

With a sigh of frustration, Shepard went back to Feron and began to pull him up. The drell, however, could not stand. His knees buckled and he collapsed again. Gritting his teeth in determination, Shepard gripped Feron's arm and practically dragged him over toward Zaeed and the wall, setting him down next to the older human.

In pain and sore all over, Shepard plopped down next to the drell with a grunt.

"So here's the situation," he said aloud so the two of them would hear. "We're all wounded and weaponless and in no condition to go up against a pack of yahgs or a platoon of mercs. Ash and Miranda are also captured, but we don't know _where_ they are. It's also possible that Aria is here. And Sarterus is out there, somewhere."

"And who the hell knows if he's dead or alive?" Zaeed asked bitterly. Feron remained quiet.

Shepard plowed on. "By this point, Joker will be trying to contact us, the Council, and the Alliance. We've probably already been listed as MIA." _Oh, God, Liara_. His throat constricted as he envisioned their doorbell ringing, Liara trotting down the stairs and throwing it open, only to see an Alliance officer or a Council official. He grimaced. He didn't want to picture what she was going through right now. Shepard screamed in his mind, _I'm here, Liara, I'm here! I'm alive, _as if their connection would allow her to hear him across the light-years separating them.

As his mind grew quiet, Zaeed spoke up. "So what do we do?"

Trying to ignore the increasing discomfort gnawing away, Shepard turned to look at Zaeed and Feron.

"We escape when the opportunity presents itself. Our first priority is to acquire some sort of weapon. After that comes communications; we need to contact Joker ASAP. And then we look for Ash, Miranda, and Sarterus, if he's here."

Zaeed snorted. "That all relies on us escaping those _yahgs_. And in our case, that doesn't seem very guddamn likely." Though he loathed admitting it, Zaeed was right. The initial escape would be the hardest, if not damn near impossible, part. _Then again_, Shepard considered, smiling devilishly, _damn near impossible hasn't stopped me before_.

"I can attest to that," Feron spoke softly. "I tried escaping shortly after capture. I barely lasted ten minutes. All I got for my troubles was a severe beating."

"That won't happen again. We'll get out," Shepard reassured. "It just might take some time."

"With no treatment, time is crunching," the mercenary said dryly.

Shepard pressed his hand against his chest wound, the warmth of his blood heating his cold hand. "Indeed."

He noticed Feron press himself against the wall a heartbeat before his brain registered that the room had turned green.

"Shit," Shepard and Zaeed breathed in unison.

With a hiss, the door slid open and two silhouettes descended the stairs, coming to a halt in the center of the room. One was definitely a yahg. The other was a…salarian?

"Bring them," the salarian ordered softly, pointing towards Zaeed and Shepard. With the door still open a brighter light filled the room, enabling Shepard to make out that the salarian was missing one of his fingers as well as one of his horns.

The yahg rumbled something that his sub-dermal translator didn't pick up. Stepping forward, the behemoth gripped Shepard and Zaeed in his massive hands, lifting them as if they were no more than rag dolls.

"Let go of me!" Zaeed snarled. The yahg tossed up toward the door, sending the mercenary crashing to his knees with a grunt. Shepard squirmed out of the yahg's grip and helped Zaeed to his feet with his good arm.

Gingerly looking over his shoulder, Shepard found Feron staring back at him with an almost apologetic look.

The yahg approached them and gave each of them a shove out the door. Shepard winced as his neck was jarred.

"Walk."

The salarian moved ahead of them and began to lead the way. Shepard shot a glance at Zaeed who looked similarly apprehensive.

"Walk."

With no other choice, Shepard walked. He made sure to straighten his back and carry himself with dignity. He might be a mess, but he would not be brought before the King of Omega hunched over and shuffling. Zaeed seemed to follow the same principle, forcing his own back straight despite the fresh wound in his stomach.

As they exited their initial room and entered the far larger one, Shepard noticed that Feron had been right. This _was_ Afterlife and they had been held in the recruiting room the Blue Suns had used all those years ago.

But it was vastly different.

Before, when Aria had been around, Afterlife was a thriving hive of activity. Deep and booming music dominated the dance floor, the bar, and the tables. People massed in here and packed together, turning the club into a massive throng of moving bodies. Even in the middle of the day cycle, Afterlife was filled to the brim.

And now it was empty. At least empty of civilians. No denizens of the space station clogged the dance floor ogling at the asari dancers, none were at the bar tossing back drinks, none were at the tables with friends or strangers. Now, mercenaries from the major organizations paced around, guarding the area, armed with assault rifles and sniper rifles.

Most of all, though, it was _quiet_. The blaring music that drowned out everything was gone.

To Shepard, it felt strange not having the music assault his cranium. It felt strange that he could distinctly hear the sound of his footsteps, his breathing, Zaeed's muttered curses.

As they walked up toward Aria's old spot, Shepard scanned as much of the room as he could without the yahg noticing. Which was damn hard, considering it was a _yahg_.

He spotted at least a dozen mercenaries from the Blue Suns making a perimeter around the club and two krogan from the Blood Pack. Each of them covered an exit and walked the entire area. With that much coverage, it made escaping that much harder.

_We'll need a distraction_, Shepard decided. But then what? He had no idea what lay in the short corridor that led out to the rest of Omega. And he still had to get Zaeed, Feron, Miranda, and Ashley out. And also Sarterus, wherever he was. _Fuck, this is much a rescue mission as it is an escape_.

The disfigured salarian walked up the stairs leading to the room overlooking the entire club. Aria's old room. And now the King's room.

_This is it_.

With Zaeed beside him, the yahg behind him, and the salarian in front of him, Shepard stepped into the room.

A yahg, at least seven or eight feet tall and three times as wide as Shepard, sat on the red couch, his arms draped lazily over the back. The yahg's entire being exuded arrogance, from the way he crossed one leg over the other, the way he leaned back into the couch and grinned at Shepard, the way he tilted his head to the side as if he were about to speak to a child. Shepard half expected him to pull out a crown. _Pretentious asshole_…

"Come here, Pet," the King ordered. The salarian marched forward at once, his head bowed down, and sat by the yahg's knee. The other yahg took a position guarding the first exit while two turians from the Blue Suns guarded the second.

The King stared at Shepard. As Shepard stared back, he thought he saw the yahg look almost…surprised? "So you are the one they called Shepard?"

"Yes." Why, or how, could he lie?

"Do you recognize me?"

_What_? "No," he answered after a moment of consideration.

The King rumbled a chuckle. "Humans. Weak, stupid, and now forgetful."

"The hell you talkin' about?" Zaeed growled. The King ignored him.

"Let me see if I can bring you up to speed. I was kidnapped years ago from my planet and taken to _his_," he pointed at the diminutive salarian. "I escaped when more humans assaulted the facility. I saw _you_ and two others on my way out."

_Sur'Kesh_? He though back and suddenly remembered. He, Liara, and Garrus had just punched through a Cerberus squad when a yahg had barreled right past them. He had completely forgotten about the incident.

The yahg grinned maliciously as understanding crept across Shepard's face. "So you remember?"

Shepard remained silent.

"I remember you saying, 'There goes the next Shadow Broker!'. Well, I've risen above that! I'm the King of Omega and the Terminus, and I have captured your Shadow Broker!" The King sat forward and wagged a finger at Shepard. "And she was a member of your crew, no less! And you didn't even know! Hah!"

_This guy is fucking insane_.

"I had heard about your feats, human. Heard how you are the reason all of us are still alive. To think that I ever feared you, thought you would be the one to threaten my plans!" He cackled and bared his teeth. "Look at how easily you have been captured! You and your squad! You're pathetic! All of you!" He cackled maniacally again. Shepard kept his face even, though Zaeed was having no such luck.

"You bloody mad bastard," he growled, his face darkening with anger. "You're guddamn insane if you think you can win against all of us."

"With the Shadow Broker under my control, the Blue Suns, Eclipse, _and_ the Blood Pack forming my army, along with the remnants of the Batarian Hegemony, and the vorcha," he sat forward and centered his focus on Zaeed, "I think you're chances are slim." Another grin spread across the King's wide face. "Especially since I have the help of some of my friends."

Shepard noticed that the King's eyes flashed toward the yahg standing guard. _Oh shit_.

"You're uplifting the yahg," Shepard stated rather than asked.

The grin answered his suspicions.

To think that Shepard had come to Omega thinking this would be fairly simple. Had he been deluded? Things were never 'fairly simple'.

If the King truly had _all_ the mercenary groups under his control, he was very dangerous. If he was uplifting the yahg, that made him the number one threat in the _entire galaxy_. The Council races were still rebuilding and in no position to fight an entire army of mercenaries and yahgs. If war was coming, it was going to be long, bloody, and devastating. And Earth…no, he would _not_ let them reach Earth.

Shepard kept staring back at the yahg who continued to smile at him. He hoped he was masking his sudden bout of dread well.

"And, now I have _you_," the King murmured dangerously. "The great Commander Shepard, under my control and away from those pesky Councilors."

"I'll _never_ be under your control," Shepard spat, glaring. Through the glass behind the King, the door leading into Afterlife slid open and a shimmer passed through.

"Then you'll end up like Pet," the King answered smoothly, waving a hand at the seated salarian. "Or like that drell. Or like the Shadow Broker."

Shepard bristled and kept his gaze locked on the yahg. The shimmer slit the throat of a passing turian and quickly stashed the body in a dark corner.

"Or like the other human. Ashley, I believe her name was." The King brought himself to his feet and walked up to Shepard, casting him in shadow. "You will be mine."

He craned his neck up, refusing to grimace, and turned his molten stare on the yahg. "_Never_."

The King whipped out a pistol and focused it on Zaeed. "You cannot defy me, human. Many have tried." The safety flicked off. "All have failed."

"Shepard…" Zaeed rasped uncertainly.

_Keep him distracted_. "You won't break me."

"I don't need to _break_ you," the King fired at the floor, Zaeed dancing to the side, "I need to _bend_ you."

The telltale click and ring of a grenade pin being pulled was followed by a soft plop.

"Huh?" The yahg standing guard exploded in a geyser of gore and chunks.

The King swung his head to the side, pieces of meat and a shower of blood raining down on them.

Like a viper, Shepard lashed out with his right hand and sunk his finger into the King's top left eye.

The shimmer passed through the red rain and the two turians dropped under a savage barrage of rifle fire.

Shepard pulled his hand back with the yahg's eye firmly in grip. His howl pierced the air, nearly drowning out Shepard's order. "RUN!"

Zaeed sprang into action, sprinting toward one of the falling turians. Snatching a rifle, he tossed it to Shepard.

In a deft motion born of years of practice, Shepard brought it up and opened fire on the King. "Move!" he bellowed.

Stooping to pick up the second rifle, Zaeed rushed down the stairs and engaged the other mercenaries in the room. The shimmer ripped the air with more rifle fire, tearing through a human and batarian.

The salarian cowered on the ground as the King swung around madly, howling in agony and fury, blood spitting from his multiple wounds.

Not daring to spend another second so close, Shepard turned and sprinted out and down the stairs, banging Zaeed on the shoulder. The mercenary jumped to his feet and followed Shepard, the two of them taking down the startled and disorganized hostiles.

Taken completely by surprise, the mercenaries were cut down like grass before a blade as the three soldiers tore through them. Even the krogan went down in a barrage of concentrated fire.

The King's incessant howling began to die down as the gunfire ceased.

Zaeed and Shepard stood in the center of the club as the shimmering figure approached.

With a faint zap, Sarterus uncloaked.

"Shepard, good to see you're functional," he began, his mandibles flaring slightly in what Shepard had long ago recognized as a smile.

"You too." With a faint nod, he indicated the upper room. "The King's incapacitated. But we'll have more hostiles pouring in any minute."

"Guddamn right," Zaeed panted, sweat beading his brow, his face contorted in pain. Shepard saw that his stomach was pumping fresh blood.

"Is he dead?" Sarterus demanded.

Shepard shrugged. "I don't know. We don't have time to check."

"I'm aware. Your shuttle pilot is waiting out by the docks, so far unnoticed. We leave now, we can be back to your ship in a half hour."

"No," Shepard snapped. Sarterus recoiled slightly.

"Shepard, you and Massani are wounded and we'll have those yahgs bearing down on us any minute. We need to go."

"We have captives here. Feron is through that door," Shepard pointed, "and we need to find Ash and Miranda."

Sarterus looked prepared to argue but Zaeed cut him off. "No use tryin'. It's guddamn impossible."

Footsteps and shouts could be heard from the lower level. Sarterus growled.

"Fine, Shepard. I'll escort this Feron back to the shuttle then come back." He stuffed his hand into one of his pouches. Pulling out four thermal clips and another small, black device, he passed two to Shepard and two to Zaeed. "I'll be ten minutes. Try to last until then." He passed the small device to Shepard. "A tracker," he explained, "so I can find you." Shepard nodded and Sarterus engaged his cloak.

"Our shields should be functional," Shepard said, checking his assault rifle and stuffing the device in a pouch. "But be careful. Without helmets, we don't know how they're doing." He paused and looked at Zaeed, who was still panting and sweating. "Is it bad?"

"No Shepard, it' guddamn wonderful," he snapped. He lifted his assault rifle. "Let's go kill these bastards so we can get the hell out."

* * *

Shepard and Zaeed stormed through the lower level of Afterlife, which had been repurposed as a prison of sorts. The rooms had been reformatted into cells with biotic barriers operating as bars, most empty and filled with old blood stains.

The two of them had cut through a squad of eight mercenaries without much trouble to get down here. It was quiet for the moment, but Shepard wouldn't allow that to let him feel secure.

Zaeed hobbled forward and looked through some of the cells. "Nothing."

Shepard walked past him and peered through some more. His frustration grew as he found empty spaces until…

"Ash!" A dark form huddled up in a corner looked up. Her blue armor was burnt and her face was bruised and battered, but she was alive.

"Shepard!" She jumped to her feet and rushed to the barrier. "You got out? Where's Sarterus?"

"Alive and well, he's getting Feron out." Shepard scanned the area looking for whatever was generating the barrier. "Do you know where Miranda is?"

Ash pointed straight ahead. "I think in that cell." Without hesitation, Zaeed hobbled forward to check.

Footsteps alerted Shepard to a presence descending the stairs. He snapped around, ignoring the flash of pain in his neck, just in time to see Sarterus uncloak.

"Feron's safe and the King's gone." His piercing, predatory eyes scanned the room. "What's going on here?"

"We need these barriers down."

"The cheerleader's in here," Zaeed called out.

More footsteps sounded in the hall outside the door that led down to the back alleys connecting Afterlife to the markets.

Sarterus breezed past Shepard and locked the door with a few taps to his omni-tool. "It won't hold. And people outside of Afterlife are starting to get suspicious. We need to _hurry_."

"I know, Sarterus, just-there!" He spotted the small generator. Raising his rifle, he destroyed the little box with a quick burst. Now that his adrenaline was wearing down, the pain in his left arm and side was steadily rising. He'd be unable to lift it soon.

The barriers to the cells sputtered and died. Ashley jumped out and hugged Shepard tightly. "Thank God you're okay."

Grimacing slightly, Shepard returned the hug. "You can thank God later when we're outa here."

"Get up, Miranda," Zaeed said.

"Of all people who had to save me…" Shepard turned his head and saw his friend pull herself out of the cell. Like Feron, she'd seen better days. Her clothes and hair were dirty and tattered and she had clearly taken a handful of beatings.

"You okay?" Shepard asked, stepping towards her.

"I've been better, Shepard." She looked up. "Did you get Feron?"

"Yes, he's safe," Sarterus answered. "Shepard, let's _go_."

The locked door began to buckle as the mercenaries began to hammer on it, trying to break it down.

"Bloody hell, how did you-" Zaeed fell on his back as the bullet tore through him, blood spattering on the wall behind him.

Sarterus and Shepard whipped around and opened fire on the salarian and two humans who had snuck up on them. Miranda glowed blue as her biotics flared, hurling the salarian with bone-crushing force into the wall. The humans fell to the ground under the viscous salvo of fire, blood running down the stairs.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Shepard sprinted to the mercenary's side.

"Zaeed! Where're you hit?" He knelt and gripped Zaeed's arm.

"Bloody hell," he rasped. "Fucker shot me in the chest."

Shepard spotted the wound. It had punched right through his armor. Zaeed coughed and spat out a globule of blood as the door buckled once more.

Wiping his mouth and smearing his gauntlet, Zaeed glared at the door. "Get outa here, Shepard. I'll cover you."

"What? No, we can get you out," Shepard protested, maneuvering to lift Zaeed off the ground. The mercenary shook him off.

The door buckled once more. "Back the hell off! I'm a dead man anyway. I'll just slow you down."

"Zaeed, we'll be on the _Normandy_ in under an hour. You'll be fine!" He looked over his shoulder at Miranda. "You can carry him out!"

"Shepard…I-I can't," she said, sagging slightly. "I wouldn't be able to maintain the field."

Ashley stepped forward. "Skipper, we need to leave." The metal door nearly caved in as it buckled with another slam.

"Shepard, we can't carry him and escape," Sarterus tried to reason, placing his hand on Shepard's shoulder.

"You have medi-gel!"

Sarterus shook his head.

Looking back down, Shepard felt guilt eating at him. They couldn't get Zaeed out without risking all of their lives. He had to decide between saving three or risking three for one. Thoughts of Kaidan and Virmire ran through his head.

Zaeed spat more blood.

"I'm sorry, Zaeed." He reached out and gripped the mercenary's hand.

"Make it count, Shepard, or I'll haunt you."

Leaning in so only he would hear, Shepard whispered, "Thank you." He pulled away and stood. Zaeed nodded and readied his rifle.

Rushing up the stairs, Shepard and the others ran through Afterlife. As the door closed behind them, he heard, "Get some, you guddamn bastards!"

As the doors shut, the noise cut off.

Without pause, the four of them ran through the staring crowds of onlookers. Luck finally decided to bless them and not throw any enemies their way as they made their way to Davies and the shuttle.

The pilot opened the door and Sarterus jumped in. Reaching out, he helped Ashley and Miranda up. Shepard was the last one to enter.

"Everyone's aboard!" Shepard shouted at the young pilot.

With a nod, Davies steered the shuttle away from the dock and out into space. "_Normandy_, this is the Kodiak. Meet us for pickup."

"Copy that, on our way," Joker's voice filled the craft.

Miranda sank into a seat and fell asleep almost immediately. Ashley and Sarterus sat and sighed in unison. Shepard remained standing, thinking.

The King was still alive and he was going to be _pissed_. War seemed inevitable now, and with the yahg in the picture, things seemed bad. Very, very bad.

He rubbed his swollen face. The only good thing coming out of this was that he was going to see Mara and Liara again. And he had Zaeed to thank for that.

Shepard let himself fall into an empty seat. _Thank you, Zaeed. Thank you, you guddamn bastard_.


	5. Chapter 5

The middle-aged medic finished scanning him. "You're lucky, Captain," the woman said, moving the equipment aside. "The synthetic implants in your body not only helped protect you from more serious damage, but they've sped your recovery. Try not to move your arm or chest and keep them in their bandages for the next few days and you'll be fine."

Shepard rubbed his scraggly beard with his available hand and found himself missing Chakwas. The _Normandy_ just wasn't the same without her yelling at him.

"Thanks Doc." He forced himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the bio-bed. "What about them?" He asked, nodding his still tender neck toward Miranda and Feron, the two laying still in their own bio-beds.

"The woman, Miranda, is suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, along with several bone fractures and breaks. She'll be fine for now, but she'll need to visit a hospital to repair some of the more serious injuries." The doctor shook her head as she looked to the sleeping drell. "About him, I can't quite say. I'm not trained, or equipped, to deal with a drell."

"Will he be alright?" Shepard asked sharply.

"He should be. His vitals are stable, though he needs to be admitted to a hospital when we land."

Shepard nodded stiffly. "Understood. Let me know when she wakes."

"Of course, Captain."

With a grunt, Shepard hopped off the bed and walked out the med-bay and into the mess hall. He was stopped almost immediately by Ash.

"Skipper, you alright?" she asked.

"I should be asking you that," Shepard returned, noting her bruised face. Aware of his stare, she absentmindedly rubbed a hand across her face.

"Just a few cuts and bruises. I'm fine, Captain. But what about you?" The concern was clear in her voice.

Shepard sighed and shifted his weight to his right foot. "I'm fine. Sore and frustrated, but fine." He offered a hopefully reassuring smile.

Ash gave him a scrutinizing stare in return before answering. "Just get better. I'll be down in the armory with Sarterus." She turned on her heel and walked toward the elevator before stopping abruptly. "Shepard? I…what should I do with Zaeed's things?"

_Good question_, he thought, rubbing his swollen face. "Leave it for now. I'll, uh, I'll take care of it later." Ash paused before nodding and continuing on her way. Alone for the moment, Shepard took a moment to collect his thoughts. He had to contact the Council and Liara, question Miranda, take care of Zaeed's things, and throw together some plan about dealing with the King.

Joker's disembodied voice floating through the intercom interrupted his prioritizing. "Shepard, I've got Councilor Tevos waiting to talk with you. Want me to patch her through to the QEC?"

"Yeah, I'll head up there now. Thanks."

"No problem. And Shepard," the intercom crackled slightly as Joker hesitated, "I'm sorry about Zaeed. And what happened down there. Ash told me shit really hit the fan."

Shepard, already at the elevator, hit the button. "You can say that again," he grumbled.

"Well, that yahg better start running now that he's got you pissed. I'm pretty sure Wrex wet his pants the first time he saw your angry face."

Shepard barked a laugh as the elevator doors closed. "One can only hope." He stood quietly, smoothing out wrinkles in his clothing impatiently, the familiar, quiet humming of the _Normandy_ filling the enclosed space.

He'd nearly died. He'd been captured. He'd left Zaeed behind so that he and the others could escape. Shepard shuddered involuntarily.

Near-death scenarios, hell, even death itself, were familiar territories to him. He wouldn't have been able to accomplish the impossible by avoiding those situations. And they'd never bothered him before; they came with the job. Liara was also very aware, though not pleased, with the prospect. But things were different now. He had a daughter. Shepard grimaced as he thought of Mindoir and how he had lost his family. The more he thought about it, the more horrified he felt that he'd nearly lost, nearly abandoned, his current one. His only family.

But at the same time, he knew that everything he did was another way of protecting his family. If the King wasn't stopped, who knew what could happen?

And then again, why should he be the one to stop it? Let someone else save the galaxy, he'd already done it once. Or twice, if you were counting the Sovereign Situation and the Reaper Invasion as two separate incidents. He deserved a break.

But he also knew he wouldn't get one until he dealt with the King. He wouldn't _allow_ himself a break until he did.

Shepard shook his head, attempting to clear his head. _I really need to retire_ he thought, his eyes losing focus and drifting towards the wall. The guilt of the disastrous mission to Omega hanging over him like a black thundercloud did little to improve his mood.

He snapped back to attention as the elevator doors slid open. Stepping out, Shepard made his way to the War Room, offering a few half-hearted 'hellos' to the various crewmen he passed. As he actually entered the large War Room, a flood of memories came rushing in. The tremendous stress he'd been under and the frustration he'd had as he tried to get everyone working together. And the way things looked now, he had a bad feeling he would wind up back in here for hours on end trying to coordinate the war effort.

The thought didn't appeal to him.

The door automatically closed behind him as he activated the QEC. While being retrofitted, the _Normandy's_ engineers had made the room soundproof, enabling Shepard and anyone else to speak freely about anything without the fear of being overheard or someone eavesdropping. A blessing, as it provided a safe haven for Shepard to call Liara while away.

With a ripple, Councilor Tevos appeared before him, looking as calm and cool as ever.

"Captain, I appreciate you accepting my call. I assume you wish to contact your family."

"I would've done that first, but you beat me to it." Shepard crossed his arms. "I could've just sent you a report."

The asari latched her hands together behind her back. "We both know the situation has grown…more serious to be cast away, even for a short while." Shepard stayed silent, prompting her to continue. "What happened on Omega?"

"Shit hit the fan," Shepard grumped, not caring about his language. "Zaeed and I were questioning a Blue Suns grunt when we got compromised, and one thing led to another…" As succinctly as he could, Shepard informed Tevos of everything that had happened. The asari's composure cracked for an instant when Shepard informed her that it was a yahg masquerading as the King.

"A _yahg_?" she whispered, astonished. "We severed all contact with them after the Council delegation was massacred. How did it get off-world?"

Shepard shrugged. "Ask the salarians. I met the…guy…man, thing during the Reaper War, when I went to Sur'Kesh to rescue Eve."

Tevos' face iced over. "The Salarian Union is behind this?"

"No. At least I don't think so. The yahg was escaping when it passed us by. He must've gotten off Sur'Kesh somehow and then _somehow_ taken control of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and the Blood Pack, and then _somehow_ overthrown Aria."

"Those are speculations, not fact, Shepard."

"It's all we've got," Shepard responded, waving a hand. "_How_ he got to power doesn't matter. _What_ he plans to do is."

Tevos hesitated before venturing forth. "Which is what?"

"He's uplifting the yahg. And he has the entirety of the three main mercenary groups behind him, along with the vorcha and the remnants of the _batarians_." Harshness crept into his voice; even after all these years, he still felt a small level of bitterness towards them. Though by now he had learned not to hate the race as a whole for the actions of a few. A hard lesson, but one he had achieved over the years.

The Councilor stiffened. "He plans to attack?"

"I'd be surprised if he didn't."

"And you are sure you did not kill him? Kavorian is positive?"

"I took his eye and riddled him with over a dozen holes. But those yahg are goddamn _tough_. If he wasn't where I left him, then he's still alive."

"Then what do we do?" Shepard scowled. Goddamn did he hate that question. During the Reaper War everyone was always asking him that. Even after he had been telling them what for three years.

"Mobilize the fleets around Parnack and keep him from organizing any more yahgs. And gather a damn army to storm Omega." Shepard jabbed a finger forward for emphasis. "We need to borrow from the turian doctrine. Overwhelm them and crush them before they can do anything. And with the Wrex and the krogan on good terms with the rest of us, those chances seem pretty decent."

"But is that the best course of action? Would it be wiser to try to open diplomatic relations, or send in another, larger Spectre team?"

Shepard shook his head vigorously. "The yahg…thing…the _King_ is crazy. Off the rails kind of insane. And now, after we just tried to assassinate him, you'd have better luck negotiating a trade deal with a brick. We strike now, while his forces are likely in disarray, and we have the best chances."

Tevos paused, weighing his words silently. She nodded slightly and said, "Very well, Shepard. I will bring this to the other Councilors and generals and formulate a plan." She ended the exchange before Shepard could protest.

They didn't have time to discuss and plan, especially when all the Council did was talk and then decide to do nothing. Or, worse, decide to do something only to find out it was too late. Something needed to be done.

Grunting in frustration and stress, Shepard forced his hand through his hair. Right now, there was one thing he could do.

Reaching out, he sent a link request to his home on Earth. Using her Broker contacts, Liara had managed to procure a QEC for their home years ago.

Seconds later, Liara shimmered into view before him.

"Taylor!" she gasped, relief and ecstasy spilling from her.

Shepard smiled, feeling the stress ebb away. Liara had that effect on him. He rested his right hand on the panel in front of him and grinned as Liara beamed with glorious relief, her eyes glistening. She wrung her hands in front of her, barely able to restrain herself.

"Hi, Liara."

"Goddess, Taylor, I was so _worried_! When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago. I'm sorry, I should've called immediately, but I passed out."

"You are the only man who apologizes for losing consciousness," Liara teased gently.

Shepard smiled again. "I guess so. I woke up an hour ago, but Tevos called first…" he trailed off.

Liara's beautiful grin receded slightly as she focused on Shepard's swollen, bruised face and bandaged arm and chest. "What happened? Did you lose contact with the _Normandy_?"

Shepard's smile faded as his face twisted into a grimace. He had to tell Liara, he just didn't _want_ to. He doubted she would take it well and, in all honesty, he couldn't blame her.

"What is it, Taylor?" she prodded gently.

"I…we were captured, Liara." Shepard brought his face up to look at his stunned wife. "Zaeed and I were… compromised and we got, uh, captured. Ash too." Shepard rubbed his neck, waiting for Liara to say something.

"How?" she breathed.

Shepard took a deep breath and dove right in, spilling the entire story to his wife as quickly as possible. The more he spoke, the more pained and dark her expression became.

"While we were getting Miranda out, some fucker shot Zaeed again. He…Zaeed stayed behind and covered our escape. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here."

"So you were captured by a _yahg_, who is busy uplifting the rest of his species, and is also in control of Omega and managed to escape only after Zaeed the _mercenary_ sacrificed himself?" When Shepard gave a shrug and a nod, Liara sighed. "Goddess, Taylor. I do not even want to _think_ of what could have happened…" she rubbed her forehead, obscuring her face from view.

"You don't need to. I'm safe now."

"But for how long?" Liara challenged. Shepard winced.

"I don't know. Right now I haven't got any orders, but they'll be calling me back soon."

Liara scrutinized him. "You are going up against a yahg, Shepard. Have you forgotten the last encounter we had with one?"

"I don't see how I can. You pulled off some fancy biotics," Shepard offered, smiling. Liara ignored his comment.

"What am I supposed to do while you go and fight? I should be with you."

"You should be with Mara," Shepard said firmly.

"So should you."

Shepard gave an exasperated sigh. "What do you want me to do, Liara?" he asked, throwing his hand in the air. "Don't you think I want to be home, with you and Mara? Don't you think I wish I could say 'fuck it' and leave this problem to someone else?" He bowed his head. "You're my family. I don't want to lose that. But I won't feel fine knowing that your safety is threatened with this maniac running loose."

"And I do not feel fine knowing you're _chasing_ this maniac running loose!" Liara shot back. Her shoulders slumped slightly and her tone softened. "I just want you safe. It nearly killed me when you…when you died in the attack. I do not want to think what losing you again will do to me _or_ Mara."

Shepard gave another small smile. "I'm pretty hard to kill. One of the few things I can thank Cerberus for."

The two fell quiet, though the silence wasn't awkward.

"Stay in contact," Liara finally said, conceding for the time being. "And when you are back, we are reopening the retirement discussion."

"Aye-aye ma'am," Shepard smiled. Liara managed to smile in return.

"I love you, Taylor."

"I love you, too. Give Mara a big hug and a kiss from me, and make sure she knows I expect to see her on the next call."

Liara laughed softly. "I will try to make her understand that." She stared at Shepard, her features softening. As Shepard looked back, the more he wished he really could just say 'fuck it'.

He forced himself to move. "I need to go. Goodbye, Liara. I'll talk to you soon." Liara nodded and they both terminated the connection. As the room fell silent and the blue glow of her presence faded, Shepard felt his heart sag.

It hurt, knowing that he'd have to stay away from Mara for even longer. But he knew that by fighting, he was protecting her. Or at least that was what he convinced himself.

Collecting himself, Shepard began to turn to leave and head down to the armory. He needed to talk with Sarterus, clear out Zaeed's things, and wait for Miranda to wake. And that was when Joker's voice over the intercom interrupted him.

"Uh, Captain? I've got another transmission coming in. Marked 'urgent'. Do you want me to send it to the QEC?"

Shepard frowned in puzzlement. "Who the hell is it?" Could it be the Council?

"I can't tell. EDI can't either, the encryptions on the thing are too heavy and will take too long to decipher."

Then not the Council.

Seeing no real reason _not_ to take the call, Shepard responded, "Then send it to the QEC, I'm already here."

_Let's see who the hell is in such a twist trying to talk to me_…

As the image shimmered into existence, all Shepard could tell was that it was an asari. Then recognition hit him.

"Shepard! I've been trying to contact you for the hours!"

"_Aria_?" Shepard asked, astonished and wide-eyed. The former ruler of Omega rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"Fuck, Shepard, calm down," she drawled. "We need to talk."

"I-what-what the _fuck_ happened, Aria?" Shepard forced out, anger beginning to overpower his astonishment.

"A fuck named the King is what happened. All that matters now is what _we're_ going to about it."

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the long wait. I didn't mean to put this off for so long, but I was busy with some stuff and whatnot. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. And please review! They're much appreciated.


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